Chapter 1 of Ten Tales is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Ten Tales is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep. She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale. "What have I said?" she stammered. "Let me pass." And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
Chapter 1 of Ten Tales is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 54/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 266–270
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.
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading “And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading “She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.”
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading “And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.”
Assuming power or authority without justification; arrogant and domineering. (Hách dịch, độc đoán, kiêu kỳ.)
From this reading “And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.”
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.”
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading “And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.”
plural of “spectator” — a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
From this reading “She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.”
plural of “start” — the beginning of anything
From this reading “She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.”
run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
In this reading “And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.”
In this reading “She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.”
In this reading “She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.”
In this reading “And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.”
observe with attention
In this reading “She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.”
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 And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
on or to one side
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
used as intensifiers
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What have I said?" she stammered.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What have I said?" she stammered.
Assuming power or authority without justification; arrogant and domineering. (Hách dịch, độc đoán, kiêu kỳ.)
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let me pass."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
go across or through
From this reading "Let me pass."
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading She recognized me who had questioned her, and became frightfully pale.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What have I said?" she stammered.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
plural of “spectator” — a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What have I said?" she stammered.
plural of “start” — the beginning of anything
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What have I said?" she stammered.
which person or people
From this reading She looked on the spectators in astonishment, as one who starts from sleep.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And brusquely putting us aside with an imperious gesture, she went off with a rapid step, and disappeared in the night.
Chapter 1 of Ten Tales by François Coppée holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 1 holds 419 sentences of Ten Tales, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Ten Tales by François Coppée exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 1 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 Ten Tales by François Coppée on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1242 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20380 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20380, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 103 minutes of reading across 249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ten Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Ten Tales 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 Ten Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
