Chapter 11 of The Deputy of Arcis is here in full — 750 sentences across 150 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of The Deputy of Arcis is here in full — 750 sentences across 150 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Then you think I had better see him?” “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.” “Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?” “Oh! no, no!” exclaimed Vinet. “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
Chapter 11 of The Deputy of Arcis is here in full — 750 sentences across 150 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/150 · 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.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading ““I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.””
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading ““Oh! no, no!” exclaimed Vinet.”
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading ““Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.””
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading ““I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.””
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading ““Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.””
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading ““I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.””
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading ““Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?””
the condition or quality of being a virgin
From this reading ““I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.””
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading ““Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.””
In this reading ““Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.””
In this reading ““Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?”
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “Then you think I had better see him?”
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Oh! no, no!” exclaimed Vinet.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Then you think I had better see him?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Then you think I had better see him?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Then you think I had better see him?”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?”
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
not any; not one
From this reading “Oh! no, no!” exclaimed Vinet.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh! no, no!” exclaimed Vinet.
on one occasion
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Then you think I had better see him?”
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then you think I had better see him?”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “Then you think I had better see him?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh! no, no!” exclaimed Vinet.
the condition or quality of being a virgin
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I may be the man to put the question in the Chamber; and if Desroches were seen with me, I should lose my virginity.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Better see him! why, my good friend, you ought to go to him at once.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wouldn’t it be better if he talked with you?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Then you think I had better see him?”
Chapter 11 of The Deputy of Arcis by Honoré de Balzac holds 750 sentences, grouped into 150 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 11 holds 750 sentences of The Deputy of Arcis, unabridged, divided into 150 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of The Deputy of Arcis by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 750 sentences, grouped into 150 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 150 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 150 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 11 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 Deputy of Arcis by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Deputy of Arcis section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Deputy of Arcis 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 Deputy of Arcis, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
