Chapter 5 of The Commission in Lunacy is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Commission in Lunacy is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?” “Yes, monsieur; but in vain. It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.” “The elder must be sixteen,” said Popinot. “Fifteen,” said the Marquise eagerly.
Chapter 5 of The Commission in Lunacy is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles
From this reading ““Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?””
plural of “cling” — fruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit
From this reading “It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.””
marked by deprivation especially of the necessities of life or healthful environmental influences
From this reading “It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.””
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading ““Fifteen,” said the Marquise eagerly.”
a person who is older than you are
From this reading ““The elder must be sixteen,” said Popinot.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading ““Fifteen,” said the Marquise eagerly.”
come into possession of
From this reading ““Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?””
being one more than fifteen
From this reading ““The elder must be sixteen,” said Popinot.”
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 It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
a positive feeling of liking
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Yes, monsieur; but in vain.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
plural of “cling” — fruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
marked by deprivation especially of the necessities of life or healthful environmental influences
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “Fifteen,” said the Marquise eagerly.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading “The elder must be sixteen,” said Popinot.
at any time
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “Fifteen,” said the Marquise eagerly.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Yes, monsieur; but in vain.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
a noblewoman ranking below a duchess and above a countess
From this reading “Fifteen,” said the Marquise eagerly.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “Yes, monsieur; but in vain.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “The elder must be sixteen,” said Popinot.
come into possession of
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The elder must be sixteen,” said Popinot.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The elder must be sixteen,” said Popinot.
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “The elder must be sixteen,” said Popinot.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading “Yes, monsieur; but in vain.
precisely as stated
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
at the time that
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading It is very hard on a mother to be deprived of the affection of her children, particularly when they can give her such happiness as every woman clings to.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, monsieur; but in vain.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Have you ever applied to him, madame, to obtain the care of your children?”
Chapter 5 of The Commission in Lunacy by Honoré de Balzac holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 5 holds 140 sentences of The Commission in Lunacy, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Commission in Lunacy by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 5 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 Commission in Lunacy by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1150 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1410 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1410, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 95 minutes of reading across 230 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Commission in Lunacy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Commission in Lunacy 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 Commission in Lunacy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
