Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The man with the broken ear
The man with the broken ear

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The man with the broken ear is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The man with the broken ear
Context Illustration Reading 1/49 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A THUNDERBOLT FROM A CLEAR SKY.
"Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.
"M. and Mme. Renault have the honor to announce to you the marriage of M. Leon Renault, their son, to Mlle. Clementine Sambucco;
"And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."
Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The man with the broken ear

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of The man with the broken ear is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A THUNDERBOLT FROM A CLEAR SKY.
/ə ˈθʌndərbɔːlt frʌm ə klɪr skaɪ/
Line 2
"Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.
Line 3
"M. and Mme. Renault have the honor to announce to you the marriage of M. Leon Renault, their son, to Mlle. Clementine Sambucco;
Line 4
"And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."
Line 5
Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

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.

announce verb US /əˈnaʊns/

make known; make an announcement

From this reading “"Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.”

benediction noun US /ˌbenəˈdɪkʃən/

the act of praying for divine protection

From this reading “"And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."”

Clementine noun US /ˈkleməntaɪn/

a variety of mandarin orange that is grown around the Mediterranean and in South Africa

From this reading “"Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.”

engineer noun US /ˈendʒəˈnɪr/

a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems

From this reading “"Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.”

invite verb US /ˌɪnˈvaɪt/

increase the likelihood of

From this reading “"And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."”

Leon noun US /ˈliːɑːn/

a historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain

From this reading “"Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.”

nuptial adjective US /ˈnʌptʃəl/

of or relating to a wedding

From this reading “"And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."”

thunderbolt noun US /ˈθʌndərbɔːlt/

a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder

From this reading “A THUNDERBOLT FROM A CLEAR SKY.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

11th

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

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

1859

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

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading A THUNDERBOLT FROM A CLEAR SKY.

absolutelyadverbUS /ˌæbsəˈluːtli/

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "M. and Mme. Renault have the honor to announce to you the marriage of M. Leon Renault, their son, to Mlle. Clementine Sambucco;

announceverbUS /əˈnaʊns/

make known; make an announcement

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

benedictionnounUS /ˌbenəˈdɪkʃən/

the act of praying for divine protection

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

cardsnounUS /kɑːrdz/

a game played with playing cards

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

civiladjectiveUS /ˈsɪvəl/

applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

CLEARverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

From this reading A THUNDERBOLT FROM A CLEAR SKY.

ClementinenounUS /ˈkleməntaɪn/

a variety of mandarin orange that is grown around the Mediterranean and in South Africa

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

elevenadjectiveUS /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

engineernounUS /ˈendʒəˈnɪr/

a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

figurenounUS /ˈfɪɡjər/

a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

Fougas

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

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading A THUNDERBOLT FROM A CLEAR SKY.

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "M. and Mme. Renault have the honor to announce to you the marriage of M. Leon Renault, their son, to Mlle. Clementine Sambucco;

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

honornounUS /ˈɑːnər/

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

insistedverbUS /ˌɪnˈsɪstəd/

past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

inviteverbUS /ˌɪnˈvaɪt/

increase the likelihood of

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

LeonnounUS /ˈliːɑːn/

a historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

MnounUS /em/

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

marriagenounUS /ˈmerɪdʒ/

the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

Maxcence

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

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

Mlle

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

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

Mme

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

From this reading "M. and Mme. Renault have the honor to announce to you the marriage of M. Leon Renault, their son, to Mlle. Clementine Sambucco;

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

niecenounUS /niːs/

a daughter of your brother or sister

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

nuptialadjectiveUS /ˈnʌptʃəl/

of or relating to a wedding

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

parishnounUS /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

preciselyadverbUS /prɪˈsaɪsli/

indicating exactness or preciseness

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

Renault

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

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

SaintnounUS /seɪnt/

a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

Sambucco

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

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

SeptembernounUS /sepˈtembər/

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

SKYnounUS /skaɪ/

the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading A THUNDERBOLT FROM A CLEAR SKY.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading "M. and Mme. Renault have the honor to announce to you the marriage of M. Leon Renault, their son, to Mlle. Clementine Sambucco;

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Fougas absolutely insisted that his name should figure on the cards.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading "M. and Mme. Renault have the honor to announce to you the marriage of M. Leon Renault, their son, to Mlle. Clementine Sambucco;

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

THUNDERBOLTnounUS /ˈθʌndərbɔːlt/

a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder

From this reading A THUNDERBOLT FROM A CLEAR SKY.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

Virginie

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

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "And invite you to be present at the nuptial benediction which will be given them on the 11th of September, 1859, in the church of Saint Maxcence, in their parish, at eleven o'clock precisely."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Mlle. Virginie Sambucco has the honor to announce to you the marriage of Mlle. Clementine Sambucco, her niece, to M. Leon Renault, civil engineer.

Chapter 20 of The man with the broken ear by Edmond About holds 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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.

What does chapter 20 of The man with the broken ear contain?

Chapter 20 holds 247 sentences of The man with the broken ear, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The man with the broken ear by Edmond About exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 20 of The man with the broken ear?

Work through the 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 50 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 20 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The man with the broken ear

Common questions about reading The man with the broken ear by Edmond About on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The man with the broken ear?

Yes. All 3541 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20724 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The man with the broken ear is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #20724, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The man with the broken ear take to read?

About 295 minutes of reading across 709 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The man with the broken ear section by section

How to work through The man with the broken ear section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of The man with the broken ear to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The man with the broken ear

Words and structures a reader meets early in The man with the broken ear, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Wherein
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The man with the broken ear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fatted
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The man with the broken ear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Celebrate
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The man with the broken ear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Return
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The man with the broken ear; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.