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The Two Brothers
The Two Brothers

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Two Brothers is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/63 · 5 lines
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Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.
In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.
Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.
But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.
In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Two Brothers

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Two Brothers is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/63 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.
Line 2
In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.
Line 3
Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.
Line 4
But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.
/bʌt ðiːz ˈtestəmoʊniz boʊθ əˈsaɪn ə mʌtʃ ˈlesər eɪdʒ tuː ðə ˈsɪti ðæn ɪts ˈeɪn.ʃənt ænˈtɪkwəti dɪˈmændz/
Line 5
In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

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.

archaeologist noun US /ˌɑːrkiˈɑːlədʒɪst/

an anthropologist who studies prehistoric people and their culture

From this reading “In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.”

assign verb US /əˈsaɪn/

give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

From this reading “But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.”

basilica noun US /bəˈsɪlɪkə/

an early Christian church designed like a Roman basilica; or a Roman Catholic church or cathedral accorded certain privileges

From this reading “In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.”

excavations noun US /ˌekskəˈveɪʃənz/

plural of “excavation” — the act of digging

From this reading “In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.”

Gauls noun US /ɡɔːlz/

plural of “gaul” — a person of French descent

From this reading “In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.”

Noah noun US /ˈnoʊə/

the Hebrew patriarch who saved himself and his family and the animals by building an ark in which they survived 40 days and 40 nights of rain; the story of Noah and the flood is told in the Book of Genesis

From this reading “In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.”

testimonies noun US /ˈtestəmoʊniz/

plural of “testimony” — a solemn statement made under oath

From this reading “But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.”

vintages noun US /ˈvɪntɪdʒɪz/

plural of “vintage” — a season's yield of wine from a vineyard

From this reading “In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.”

All words in this reading · 86

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

ancientadjectiveUS /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

antiquitynounUS /ænˈtɪkwəti/

the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

archaeologistnounUS /ˌɑːrkiˈɑːlədʒɪst/

an anthropologist who studies prehistoric people and their culture

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

Armand

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

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

assignverbUS /əˈsaɪn/

give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person)

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

assumptionnounUS /əˈsʌmpʃən/

a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

basilicanounUS /bəˈsɪlɪkə/

an early Christian church designed like a Roman basilica; or a Roman Catholic church or cathedral accorded certain privileges

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

CaesarnounUS /ˈsiːzər/

conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC)

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

Campo

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

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

celebratedadjectiveUS /ˈseləbreɪtɪd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

centurynounUS /ˈsentʃəri/

a period of 100 years

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

Champ-Fort

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

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

citiesnounUS /ˈsɪtiz/

plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

commercenounUS /ˈkɑːmərs/

transactions (sales and purchases) having the objective of supplying commodities (goods and services)

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

demandsnounUS /dɪˈmændz/

plural of “demand” — an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

emperornounUS /ˈempərər/

the male ruler of an empire

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

excavationsnounUS /ˌekskəˈveɪʃənz/

plural of “excavation” — the act of digging

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

excellentadjectiveUS /ˈeksələnt/

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

fifthnounUS /fɪfθ/

a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

Forti

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

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

FrancenounUS /fræns/

a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

GaulsnounUS /ɡɔːlz/

plural of “gaul” — a person of French descent

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

historicaladjectiveUS /hɪˈstɔːrɪkəl/

of or relating to the study of history

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

immenseadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmens/

unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

Issoudun

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

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

languagenounUS /ˈlæŋɡwədʒ/

a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

latelyadverbUS /ˈleɪtli/

in the recent past

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/

having or showing profound knowledge

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

leavesnounUS /liːvz/

plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

lesseradjectiveUS /ˈlesər/

of less size or importance

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

makesnounUS /meɪks/

plural of “make” — a recognizable kind

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

MonsieurnounUS /məˈsjɜːr/

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

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

NoahnounUS /ˈnoʊə/

the Hebrew patriarch who saved himself and his family and the animals by building an ark in which they survived 40 days and 40 nights of rain; the story of Noah and the flood is told in the Book of Genesis

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

offencenoun

the action of attacking an enemy

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

oldestadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldəst/

superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

ParisnounUS /ˈperɪs/

the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

Peremet

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

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

populationnounUS /ˌpɑːpjəˈleɪʃən/

the people who inhabit a territory or state

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/

with considerable certainty; without much doubt

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

Probus

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

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

Rigord

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

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

speaksverbUS /spiːks/

third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

spitenounUS /spaɪt/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

testimoniesnounUS /ˈtestəmoʊniz/

plural of “testimony” — a solemn statement made under oath

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading But these testimonies both assign a much lesser age to the city than its ancient antiquity demands.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

towernounUS /ˈtaʊər/

a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

undertakenverbUS /ˈʌndərteɪkən/

inflected form of “undertake” — enter upon an activity or enterprise

From this reading In fact, the excavations lately undertaken by a learned archaeologist of the place, Monsieur Armand Peremet, have brought to light, under the celebrated tower of Issoudun, a basilica of the fifth century, probably the only one in France.

vintagesnounUS /ˈvɪntɪdʒɪz/

plural of “vintage” — a season's yield of wine from a vineyard

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

winenounUS /waɪn/

fermented juice (of grapes especially)

From this reading In spite of the historical assumption which makes the emperor Probus the Noah of the Gauls, Caesar speaks of the excellent wine of Champ-Fort (“de Campo Forti”) still one of the best vintages of Issoudun.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Issoudun, be it said without offence to Paris, is one of the oldest cities in France.

writesverbUS /raɪts/

third-person singular of “write” — produce a literary work

From this reading Rigord writes of this city in language which leaves no doubt as to its great population and its immense commerce.

Chapter 7 of The Two Brothers by Honoré de Balzac holds 315 sentences, grouped into 63 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.

What does chapter 7 of The Two Brothers contain?

Chapter 7 holds 315 sentences of The Two Brothers, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Two Brothers by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 315 sentences, grouped into 63 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.

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Each of the 63 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.

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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.

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    Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Two Brothers 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 Two Brothers

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Two Brothers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Townspeople
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Two Brothers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Issoudun
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Two Brothers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Enjoyed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Two Brothers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Services
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Two Brothers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.