Chapter 4 of The Ball at Sceaux is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Ball at Sceaux is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“When, uncle?” “To-morrow.” “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?” “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose. He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
Chapter 4 of The Ball at Sceaux is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
bound or obligated, as under a pledge to a particular cause, action, or attitude
From this reading ““But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?””
something many people believe that is false
From this reading “He won’t be the first, I fancy?””
inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading ““When, uncle?””
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
any thing at all
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
cast, hurl, or throw repeatedly with some missile
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
bound or obligated, as under a pledge to a particular cause, action, or attitude
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
dearly loved
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
something many people believe that is false
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
start firing a weapon
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
inflammation of the laminated tissue that attaches the hoof to the foot of a horse
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
go away from a place
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “To-morrow.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “When, uncle?”
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
at the time that
From this reading “When, uncle?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
Chapter 4 of The Ball at Sceaux by Honoré de Balzac holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 4 holds 146 sentences of The Ball at Sceaux, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Ball at Sceaux by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 4 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 The Ball at Sceaux by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 895 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1305 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1305, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 74 minutes of reading across 179 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ball at Sceaux section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Ball at Sceaux 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 The Ball at Sceaux, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
