Chapter 19 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Am I not consumptive? Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?” “Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have! What will you give me?” asked Aquilina. “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
Chapter 19 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?””
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading ““Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?””
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading ““Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!”
either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading “Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?””
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading ““Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!”
Italian painter whose many paintings exemplify the ideals of the High Renaissance (1483-1520)
From this reading ““Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading ““Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!”
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 Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Am I not consumptive?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What will you give me?” asked Aquilina.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading What will you give me?” asked Aquilina.
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?”
tending to consume or use often wastefully
From this reading “Am I not consumptive?
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading What will you give me?” asked Aquilina.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Am I not consumptive?
either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?”
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What will you give me?” asked Aquilina.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Am I not consumptive?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Did not my mother die of a lung complaint?”
Italian painter whose many paintings exemplify the ideals of the High Renaissance (1483-1520)
From this reading “Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “Here’s to the death of his uncle, Major O’Flaharty!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Aha, Raphael! what fun you will have!
Chapter 19 of The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac holds 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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.
Chapter 19 holds 152 sentences of The Magic Skin, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 19 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 Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4696 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1307 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1307, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 391 minutes of reading across 940 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Magic Skin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Magic Skin 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 Magic Skin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
