Chapter 2 of Seraphita is here in full — 307 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Seraphita is here in full — 307 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Later in the evening David re-entered the salon. “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice. “Wilfrid may enter.” Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her. “My dear Seraphita, are you ill?” he said.
Chapter 2 of Seraphita is here in full — 307 sentences across 62 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/61 · 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.
make known; make an announcement
From this reading ““I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.”
placed crosswise
From this reading “Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.”
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading “Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.”
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.”
past form of “re-enter” — enter again
From this reading “Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.”
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading “Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.”
ready to fall asleep
From this reading ““I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.”
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 know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
make known; make an announcement
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “My dear Seraphita, are you ill?” he said.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
placed crosswise
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.
dearly loved
From this reading “My dear Seraphita, are you ill?” he said.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
to come or go into
From this reading “Wilfrid may enter.”
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “My dear Seraphita, are you ill?” he said.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “My dear Seraphita, are you ill?” he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “Wilfrid may enter.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My dear Seraphita, are you ill?” he said.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
past form of “re-enter” — enter again
From this reading Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
ready to fall asleep
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Later in the evening David re-entered the salon.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
which person or people
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wilfrid may enter.”
the words that are spoken
From this reading Hearing these words a man suddenly presented himself, crossed the room and sat down beside her.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I know who it is you have come to announce,” said Seraphita in a sleepy voice.
Chapter 2 of Seraphita by Honoré de Balzac holds 307 sentences, grouped into 62 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 2 holds 307 sentences of Seraphita, unabridged, divided into 62 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Seraphita by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 307 sentences, grouped into 62 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 62 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 62 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 2 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 Seraphita by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1432, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 191 minutes of reading across 460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Seraphita section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Seraphita 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 Seraphita, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
