Chapter 3 of The Country Doctor is here in full — 829 sentences across 166 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Country Doctor is here in full — 829 sentences across 166 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Pray, come in, sir!” cried Jacquotte. “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you! It is always the way! You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good. Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
Chapter 3 of The Country Doctor is here in full — 829 sentences across 166 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/165 · 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.
having been prepared for eating by the application of heat
From this reading “Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.”
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading ““A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!”
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading ““Pray, come in, sir!” cried Jacquotte.”
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading “You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading ““A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!”
at any time that; every time that
From this reading “You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.”
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 “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading It is always the way!
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Pray, come in, sir!” cried Jacquotte.
having been prepared for eating by the application of heat
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Pray, come in, sir!” cried Jacquotte.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Pray, come in, sir!” cried Jacquotte.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is always the way!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is always the way!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Pray, come in, sir!” cried Jacquotte.
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “Pray, come in, sir!” cried Jacquotte.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
term of address for a man
From this reading “Pray, come in, sir!” cried Jacquotte.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
make a mess of, destroy or ruin
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It is always the way!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
at any time that; every time that
From this reading You always manage to spoil the dinner for me whenever it ought to be particularly good.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Everything is cooked to death by this time----” “Oh! well, here we are,” answered Benassis with a smile.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “A pretty time the gentlemen have been waiting for you!
Chapter 3 of The Country Doctor by Honoré de Balzac holds 829 sentences, grouped into 166 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 3 holds 829 sentences of The Country Doctor, unabridged, divided into 166 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Country Doctor by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 829 sentences, grouped into 166 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 166 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 166 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 3 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 Country Doctor by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4342 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1350 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1350, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 361 minutes of reading across 869 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Country Doctor section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Country Doctor 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 Country Doctor, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
