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The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3
The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3 is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.
Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.
After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.
Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.
I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3

Chapter II · Chapter 2

Chapter 2 of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3 is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.
/ðə ˈdiːmən ʌv daʊt ɔːl maɪ ˈefərts tuː dɪˈvaɪn ðə kɑːz ʌv soʊ ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd ə tʃeɪndʒ wɜːr æz veɪn æz ðə ˈkwestʃənz aɪ hæd fɜːrst æskt/
Line 2
Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.
Line 3
After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.
Line 4
Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.
/ˈpæsɪŋ ðə ˈɑːprə aɪ ˈentərd ɪt frʌm mɪr fɔːrs ʌv ˈhæbət/
Line 5
I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

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.

conjecture noun US /kənˈdʒektʃər/

a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)

From this reading “After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.”

demon noun US /ˈdiːmən/

an evil supernatural being

From this reading “THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.”

exterior noun US /ɪkˈstɪriər/

the region that is outside of something

From this reading “I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.”

objects noun US /ˈɑːbdʒekts/

plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow

From this reading “I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.”

Opera noun US /ˈɑːprə/

a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

From this reading “Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.”

overwhelmed verb US /ˌoʊvərˈwelmd/

past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli

From this reading “I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.”

theatre noun US /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading “I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.”

unexpected adjective US /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/

not expected or anticipated

From this reading “THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.”

All words in this reading · 74

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 THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

Brigitte

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.

causenounUS /kɑːz/

events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

changeverbUS /tʃeɪndʒ/

cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

conjecturenounUS /kənˈdʒektʃər/

a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

DEMONnounUS /ˈdiːmən/

an evil supernatural being

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

divineadjectiveUS /dɪˈvaɪn/

emanating from God

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

DOUBTnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

effortsnounUS /ˈefərts/

plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

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

From this reading Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.

entireadjectiveUS /ɪnˈtaɪər/

constituting the full quantity or extent; complete

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

exteriornounUS /ɪkˈstɪriər/

the region that is outside of something

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

forcenounUS /fɔːrs/

a powerful effect or influence

From this reading Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

griefnounUS /ɡriːf/

intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

habitnounUS /ˈhæbət/

an established custom

From this reading Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

illadjectiveUS /ɪl/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.

impressionnounUS /ˌɪmˈpreʃən/

a vague idea in which some confidence is placed

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.

knowingadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊɪŋ/

evidencing the possession of inside information

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

liveverbUS /laɪv/

be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

mereadjectiveUS /mɪr/

being nothing more than specified

From this reading Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

objectsnounUS /ˈɑːbdʒekts/

plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

obstinatelyadverb

in a stubborn unregenerate manner

From this reading Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

OperanounUS /ˈɑːprə/

a drama set to music; consists of singing with orchestral accompaniment and an orchestral overture and interludes

From this reading Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

overwhelmedverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmd/

past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

PassingnounUS /ˈpæsɪŋ/

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading Passing the Opera, I entered it from mere force of habit.

payverbUS /peɪ/

give money, usually in exchange for goods or services

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

questionsnounUS /ˈkwestʃənz/

plural of “question” — an instance of questioning

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.

sensesnounUS /ˈsensɪz/

plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

silentadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪlənt/

marked by absence of sound

From this reading Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

stupefiedadjective

as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

supplicationnoun

a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

theatrenounUS /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

unexpectedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/

not expected or anticipated

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

vainadjectiveUS /veɪn/

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Brigitte was ill, and remained obstinately silent.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading THE DEMON OF DOUBT All my efforts to divine the cause of so unexpected a change were as vain as the questions I had first asked.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I could pay no attention to what was going on in the theatre, I was so overwhelmed with grief, so stupefied, that I did not live, so to speak, except in myself, and exterior objects made no impression on my senses.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading After an entire day passed in supplication and conjecture, I went out without knowing where I was going.

Chapter 2 of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3 by Alfred de Musset holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3 contain?

Chapter 2 holds 127 sentences of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3 by Alfred de Musset exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 2 of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 26 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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.

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Vocabulary met early in The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Having
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Decided
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3; 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 — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Paris
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Confession of a Child of the Century — Volume 3; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.