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The Forfeiture
The Forfeiture

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Forfeiture is here in full — 543 sentences across 109 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/108 · 5 lines
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GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!
Unable to reason with my two aunts!
ISABELLE: I can never return.
What extravagants!
VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Forfeiture

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Forfeiture is here in full — 543 sentences across 109 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/108 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!
Line 2
Unable to reason with my two aunts!
/əˈneɪbəl tuː ˈriːzən wɪð maɪ tuː ænts/
Line 3
ISABELLE: I can never return.
Line 4
What extravagants!
Line 5
VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

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.

aunts noun US /ænts/

plural of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading “Unable to reason with my two aunts!”

directions noun US /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading “GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!”

Lackey noun US /ˈlæki/

a male servant (especially a footman)

From this reading “GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!”

nephew noun US /ˈnefjuː/

a son of your brother or sister

From this reading “GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!”

older adjective US /ˈoʊldər/

advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)

From this reading “GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!”

Unable adjective US /əˈneɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how

From this reading “Unable to reason with my two aunts!”

valet noun US /væˈleɪ/

a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer

From this reading “GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!”

younger adjective US /ˈjʌŋɡər/

used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father

From this reading “GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

3

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

4

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

ARAMINTE

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

auntnounUS /ænt/

the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

auntsnounUS /ænts/

plural of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading Unable to reason with my two aunts!

BELISE

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading ISABELLE: I can never return.

directionsnounUS /dərˈekʃənz/

plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

EnterverbUS /ˈentər/

to come or go into

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

extravagants

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

From this reading What extravagants!

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

FRONTIN

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

GERONTE

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading ISABELLE: I can never return.

Isabelle

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

LackeynounUS /ˈlæki/

a male servant (especially a footman)

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

lovernounUS /ˈlʌvər/

a person who loves someone or is loved by someone

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Unable to reason with my two aunts!

nephewnounUS /ˈnefjuː/

a son of your brother or sister

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading ISABELLE: I can never return.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/

advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

oppositeadjectiveUS /ˈɑːpəzət/

being directly across from each other; facing

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

reasonnounUS /ˈriːzən/

a rational motive for a belief or action

From this reading Unable to reason with my two aunts!

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading ISABELLE: I can never return.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

seeingnounUS /ˈsiːɪŋ/

perception by means of the eyes

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

sisternounUS /ˈsɪstər/

a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Unable to reason with my two aunts!

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Unable to reason with my two aunts!

UnableadjectiveUS /əˈneɪbəl/

(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how

From this reading Unable to reason with my two aunts!

Valere

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

Valere's

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

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

valetnounUS /væˈleɪ/

a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Unable to reason with my two aunts!

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading VALERE: Yes, the more I think of it the less I see of a way out.

youngeradjectiveUS /ˈjʌŋɡər/

used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father

From this reading GERONTE, father of Isabelle ISABELLE, lover of Valere BELISE, Valere's older aunt ARAMINTE, her younger sister VALERE, nephew of Belise and Araminte FRONTIN, Valere's valet A Lackey 4 men, 3 women (Enter Isabelle and Valere from opposite directions without seeing each other) VALERE: What!

Chapter 1 of The Forfeiture by Charles Rivière Dufresny holds 543 sentences, grouped into 109 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 1 of The Forfeiture contain?

Chapter 1 holds 543 sentences of The Forfeiture, unabridged, divided into 109 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Forfeiture by Charles Rivière Dufresny exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 543 sentences, grouped into 109 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 1 of The Forfeiture?

Work through the 109 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 109 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Forfeiture

Common questions about reading The Forfeiture by Charles Rivière Dufresny on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Forfeiture?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Forfeiture is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Forfeiture

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Forfeiture, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Forfeiture, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The Forfeiture, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.