Chapter 23 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, monsieur.” “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he. “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.” “Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant. “To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?
Chapter 23 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
From this reading ““I have a warrant for the detention of your person.””
accept an excuse for
From this reading ““To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?”
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading ““You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.”
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading ““Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant.”
plural of “passport” — any authorization to pass or go somewhere
From this reading ““To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading ““Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant.”
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading ““You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.”
a writ from a court commanding police to perform specified acts
From this reading ““I have a warrant for the detention of your person.””
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?
a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading “Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “Yes, monsieur.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
plural of “passport” — any authorization to pass or go somewhere
From this reading “To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?
a human being
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant.
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “To be sure.--Excuse me, ladies--your passports?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
a writ from a court commanding police to perform specified acts
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
which person or people
From this reading “Who are these ladies?” asked the sergeant.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, monsieur.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You will spend to-night in La Force,” said he.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I have a warrant for the detention of your person.”
Chapter 23 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honoré de Balzac holds 246 sentences, grouped into 50 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 23 holds 246 sentences of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 246 sentences, grouped into 50 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Scenes from a Courtesan's Life by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9208 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1660 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1660, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1842 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Scenes from a Courtesan's Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Scenes from a Courtesan's Life to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Scenes from a Courtesan's Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
