Chapter 20 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words. ‘You will think of all my requirements for me.’ I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand? The reason of it? Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
Chapter 20 of The Magic Skin is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.”
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading ““‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.”
clothing in general
From this reading ““‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.”
red late-ripening apple; primarily eaten raw
From this reading ““‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading “Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.”
plural of “requirement” — required activity
From this reading “‘You will think of all my requirements for me.’”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?”
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 “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
later than; following
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading ‘You will think of all my requirements for me.’
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
clothing in general
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ‘You will think of all my requirements for me.’
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The reason of it?
red late-ripening apple; primarily eaten raw
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
and nothing more
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ‘You will think of all my requirements for me.’
no person; not anyone
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘You will think of all my requirements for me.’
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading The reason of it?
plural of “requirement” — required activity
From this reading ‘You will think of all my requirements for me.’
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
term of address for a man
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
express in speech
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading ‘You will think of all my requirements for me.’
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I am the master, so to speak, and he is the servant, you understand?
precisely as stated
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Ah, my word, that is just what nobody on earth knows but himself and God Almighty.
the words that are spoken
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
an affirmative
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “‘Jonathan, you will look after me as if I were a baby in long clothes,’ Yes, sir, ‘long clothes!’ those were his very words.
Chapter 20 of The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 20 holds 156 sentences of The Magic Skin, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 20 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, unabridged. 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.
