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The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete
The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Just so, Monsieur l Abbe; I took the liberty.
It does not inconvenience you?”
Oh! not at all, not at all!
Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”
He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”
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 Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Just so, Monsieur lAbbe; I took the liberty.
/dʒʌst soʊ məˈsjɜːr el ˈæbi aɪ tʊk ðə ˈlɪb.ər.ti/
Line 2
It does not inconvenience you?”
/ɪt dʌz nɑːt ˌɪnkənˈviːnjəns juː/
Line 3
Oh! not at all, not at all!
/oʊ nɑːt æt ɔːl nɑːt æt ɔːl/
Line 4
Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”
/kʌm æz ˈɔːfən æz juː pliːz ənd brɪŋ ˈʌðər ˈpiːpəl/
Line 5
He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”
/hiː læft ɪn æn enˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ ˈmænər ənd baʊd tuː piˈer huː əˈstɑːnɪʃt baɪ ðɪs ˈkwaɪət ˈkerləsnəs əbˈzɜːrvd ðə ˈpiːpəl huː kʌm ˌhaʊˈevər mʌst səmˈtaɪmz pleɪɡ juː/

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.

Abbe noun US /ˈæbi/

a French abbot

From this reading ““Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.”

astonished adjective US /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

From this reading “He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?””

carelessness noun US /ˈkerləsnəs/

the quality of not being careful or taking pains

From this reading “He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?””

engaging adjective US /enˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/

attracting or delighting

From this reading “He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?””

inconvenience noun US /ˌɪnkənˈviːnjəns/

an inconvenient discomfort

From this reading “It does not inconvenience you?””

liberty noun US /ˈlɪb.ər.ti/

The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.

From this reading ““Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.”

Pierre noun US /piˈer/

capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river

From this reading “He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?””

plague verb US /pleɪɡ/

cause to suffer a blight

From this reading “He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?””

All words in this reading · 45

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.

AbbenounUS /ˈæbi/

a French abbot

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 “Oh! not at all, not at all!

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”

astonishedadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “Oh! not at all, not at all!

bowedadjectiveUS /baʊd/

of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

carelessnessnounUS /ˈkerləsnəs/

the quality of not being careful or taking pains

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

ComeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

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

From this reading It does not inconvenience you?”

engagingadjectiveUS /enˈɡeɪdʒɪŋ/

attracting or delighting

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

inconveniencenounUS /ˌɪnkənˈviːnjəns/

an inconvenient discomfort

From this reading It does not inconvenience you?”

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It does not inconvenience you?”

JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

lnounUS /el/

a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

libertynounUS /ˈlɪb.ər.ti/

The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

MonsieurnounUS /məˈsjɜːr/

used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It does not inconvenience you?”

observedadjectiveUS /əbˈzɜːrvd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/

many times at short intervals

From this reading Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading “Oh! not at all, not at all!

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”

PierrenounUS /piˈer/

capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

plagueverbUS /pleɪɡ/

cause to suffer a blight

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

pleaseverbUS /pliːz/

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading Come as often as you please, and bring other people.”

quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/

characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

sometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading “Just so, Monsieur l’ Abbe; I took the liberty.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He laughed in an engaging manner, and bowed to Pierre, who, astonished by this quiet carelessness, observed: “The people who come, however, must sometimes plague you?”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading It does not inconvenience you?”

Chapter 17 of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete by Émile Zola holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 17 of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete contain?

Chapter 17 holds 399 sentences of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete by Émile Zola exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 17 of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete

Common questions about reading The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete by Émile Zola on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete?

Yes. All 8776 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8516 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #8516, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1756 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete section by section

How to work through The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete 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 Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Perusing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Reader
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Understand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Writing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Three Cities Trilogy: Lourdes, Complete; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.