Chapter 1 of The Flood 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 I
Chapter 1 of The Flood is here in full — 750 sentences across 150 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My name is Louis Roubien. I am seventy years old. I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse. For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread. At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
Chapter 1 of The Flood 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.
past form of “battle” — battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
From this reading “For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.”
a person who operates a farm
From this reading “At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading “For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.”
a local church community
From this reading “At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.”
an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
From this reading “At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.”
superlative of “rich” — possessing material wealth
From this reading “At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.”
being ten more than sixty
From this reading “I am seventy years old.”
a city on the Garonne River in southern France to the southeast of Bordeaux; a cultural center of medieval Europe
From this reading “I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am seventy years old.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
past form of “battle” — battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
From this reading For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.
brought into existence
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.
a person who operates a farm
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
a river that rises in the Pyrenees and flows northwest to the Bay of Biscay
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am seventy years old.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My name is Louis Roubien.
immediately past
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading My name is Louis Roubien.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My name is Louis Roubien.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading My name is Louis Roubien.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I am seventy years old.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
a local church community
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
superlative of “rich” — possessing material wealth
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My name is Louis Roubien.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
being ten more than sixty
From this reading I am seventy years old.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
not in physical motion
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
a city on the Garonne River in southern France to the southeast of Bordeaux; a cultural center of medieval Europe
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was born in the village of Saint-Jory, several miles up the Garonne from Toulouse.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading At last, prosperity smiled on we, and last month I was still the richest farmer in the parish.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For fourteen years I battled with the earth for my daily bread.
a late time of life
From this reading I am seventy years old.
Chapter 1 of The Flood by Émile Zola 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 1 holds 750 sentences of The Flood, unabridged, divided into 150 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Flood by Émile Zola 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 1 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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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 Flood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Flood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
