Chapter 17 of The Collection of Antiquities is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Collection of Antiquities is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.” “Yes, but honor?--and his career? Chesnel told me; the King knows the truth.” “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess. Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
Chapter 17 of The Collection of Antiquities is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading ““Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.””
plural of “antiquity” — the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe
From this reading “Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading ““Yes, but honor?--and his career?”
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading “Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.”
on a floor below
From this reading “Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.”
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading ““Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.””
-ing form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading ““We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.”
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading “Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.”
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 “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Yes, but honor?--and his career?
spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
plural of “antiquity” — the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Yes, but honor?--and his career?
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “Yes, but honor?--and his career?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chesnel told me; the King knows the truth.”
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
dearly loved
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
on a floor below
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
set up or found
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, but honor?--and his career?
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading “Yes, but honor?--and his career?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Chesnel told me; the King knows the truth.”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Chesnel told me; the King knows the truth.”
immediately past
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Chesnel told me; the King knows the truth.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.
-ing form of “repair” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Do not fear, dear angel,” the Duchess said at last; “he is safe.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Chesnel told me; the King knows the truth.”
a fact that has been verified
From this reading Chesnel told me; the King knows the truth.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Mlle. Armande went downstairs to the salon, and found the Collection of Antiquities complete to a man.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “We will think of a way of repairing the evil,” said the Duchess.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, but honor?--and his career?
Chapter 17 of The Collection of Antiquities by Honoré de Balzac holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 17 holds 123 sentences of The Collection of Antiquities, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Collection of Antiquities by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 17 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 Collection of Antiquities by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2367 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1405 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1405, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 197 minutes of reading across 474 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Collection of Antiquities section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Collection of Antiquities 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 Collection of Antiquities, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
