Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Confession of a Child of the Century
The Confession of a Child of the Century

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Confession of a Child of the Century is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Confession of a Child of the Century
Context Illustration Reading 1/6 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.
When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:
"You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."
I entered and saw my father dead.
"Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Confession of a Child of the Century

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of The Confession of a Child of the Century is here in full — 31 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/6 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.
/maɪ ˈfɑːðər lɪvd ɪn ðə ˈkʌntri sʌm maɪlz frʌm ˈperɪs/
Line 2
When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:
/wen aɪ ərˈaɪvd aɪ faʊnd ə fəˈzɪʃən æt ðə dɔːr huː sed tuː miː/
Line 3
"You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."
/juː ɑːr tuː leɪt jɔːr ˈfɑːðər ɪkˈsprest ə dɪˈzaɪər tuː siː juː bɪˈfɔːr hiː daɪd/
Line 4
I entered and saw my father dead.
/aɪ ˈentərd ənd sɔː maɪ ˈfɑːðər ded/
Line 5
"Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."
/sɜːr aɪ sed tuː ðə fəˈzɪʃən pliːz hæv ˈevəri wʌn rɪˈtaɪr ðæt aɪ meɪ biː əˈloʊn hiːr maɪ ˈfɑːðər hæd ˈsʌmθɪŋ tuː seɪ tuː miː ənd hiː wɪl seɪ ɪt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

arrived verb US /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading “When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:”

desire noun US /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading “"You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."”

died verb US /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading “"You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."”

expressed adjective US /ɪkˈsprest/

communicated in words

From this reading “"You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."”

miles noun US /maɪlz/

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading “MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.”

Paris noun US /ˈperɪs/

the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce

From this reading “MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.”

physician noun US /fəˈzɪʃən/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading “When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:”

retire verb US /rɪˈtaɪr/

go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position

From this reading “"Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."”

All words in this reading · 53

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I entered and saw my father dead.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading I entered and saw my father dead.

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading I entered and saw my father dead.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

expressedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsprest/

communicated in words

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

milesnounUS /maɪlz/

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

ParisnounUS /ˈperɪs/

the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

physiciannounUS /fəˈzɪʃən/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

pleaseverbUS /pliːz/

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

retireverbUS /rɪˈtaɪr/

go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading I entered and saw my father dead.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading MY father lived in the country, some miles from Paris.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading When I arrived, I found a physician at the door who said to me:

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "Sir," I said to the physician, "please have every one retire that I may be alone here; my father had something to say to me, and he will say it."

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You are too late; your father expressed a desire to see you before he died."

Chapter 14 of The Confession of a Child of the Century by Alfred de Musset holds 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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.

What does chapter 14 of The Confession of a Child of the Century contain?

Chapter 14 holds 31 sentences of The Confession of a Child of the Century, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The Confession of a Child of the Century by Alfred de Musset exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 31 sentences, grouped into 7 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.

How do I study chapter 14 of The Confession of a Child of the Century?

Work through the 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 7 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.

Can chapter 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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.

Questions about reading The Confession of a Child of the Century

Common questions about reading The Confession of a Child of the Century by Alfred de Musset on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Confession of a Child of the Century?

Yes. All 4019 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9869 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Confession of a Child of the Century is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9869, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Confession of a Child of the Century take to read?

About 334 minutes of reading across 804 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Confession of a Child of the Century section by section

How to work through The Confession of a Child of the Century section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Confession of a Child of the Century to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Confession of a Child of the Century

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Confession of a Child of the Century, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Explain
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Taken
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Malady
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.