Chapter 39 of The Nabob is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Nabob is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins. We know what lies underneath it. Speak to me as you did just now. I prefer the bull-dog to the spaniel. I fear it less.”
Chapter 39 of The Nabob is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
affected manners intended to impress others
From this reading ““But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.”
like or befitting a father or fatherhood; kind and protective
From this reading ““But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.”
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “I fear it less.””
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading “I fear it less.””
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading “We know what lies underneath it.”
like better; value more highly
From this reading “I prefer the bull-dog to the spaniel.”
any of several breeds of small to medium-sized gun dogs with a long silky coat and long frilled ears
From this reading “I prefer the bull-dog to the spaniel.”
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading “We know what lies underneath it.”
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.
affected manners intended to impress others
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Speak to me as you did just now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I prefer the bull-dog to the spaniel.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
a young person of either sex
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
dearly loved
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Speak to me as you did just now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
like or befitting a father or fatherhood; kind and protective
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading I fear it less.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I prefer the bull-dog to the spaniel.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We know what lies underneath it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
and nothing more
From this reading Speak to me as you did just now.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading We know what lies underneath it.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading I fear it less.”
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading We know what lies underneath it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Speak to me as you did just now.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Speak to me as you did just now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
like better; value more highly
From this reading I prefer the bull-dog to the spaniel.
any of several breeds of small to medium-sized gun dogs with a long silky coat and long frilled ears
From this reading I prefer the bull-dog to the spaniel.
express in speech
From this reading Speak to me as you did just now.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I prefer the bull-dog to the spaniel.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Speak to me as you did just now.
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading We know what lies underneath it.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We know what lies underneath it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading We know what lies underneath it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But you don’t think, my dear child, that--” “Oh, enough of your fatherly airs, Jenkins.
Chapter 39 of The Nabob by Alphonse Daudet holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 39 holds 168 sentences of The Nabob, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Nabob by Alphonse Daudet exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 39 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 Nabob by Alphonse Daudet on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2077 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2077, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 549 minutes of reading across 1319 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Nabob section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Nabob 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 Nabob, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
