Chapter 3 of The two countesses is here in full — 506 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The two countesses is here in full — 506 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What, flatter him!” I cried, “praise what I do not approve! Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!” “Do not give it such high-sounding names,” said she. “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
Chapter 3 of The two countesses is here in full — 506 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/101 · 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.
give sanction to
From this reading “I cried, “praise what I do not approve!”
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading ““To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.”
bring shame or dishonor upon
From this reading “Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!””
praise somewhat dishonestly
From this reading ““What, flatter him!””
excessive or insincere praise
From this reading “Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!””
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading ““Do not give it such high-sounding names,” said she.”
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading “I cried, “praise what I do not approve!”
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading “Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!””
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!”
give sanction to
From this reading I cried, “praise what I do not approve!
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading I cried, “praise what I do not approve!
bring shame or dishonor upon
From this reading Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I cried, “praise what I do not approve!
praise somewhat dishonestly
From this reading “What, flatter him!”
excessive or insincere praise
From this reading Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “Do not give it such high-sounding names,” said she.
pretentious (especially with regard to language or ideals)
From this reading “Do not give it such high-sounding names,” said she.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “What, flatter him!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I cried, “praise what I do not approve!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!”
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading “Do not give it such high-sounding names,” said she.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I cried, “praise what I do not approve!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!”
and nothing more
From this reading “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
an expression of approval and commendation
From this reading I cried, “praise what I do not approve!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Do not give it such high-sounding names,” said she.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Do not give it such high-sounding names,” said she.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Do not give it such high-sounding names,” said she.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Flattery! oh, the shame and disgrace of it!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What, flatter him!”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “To be a bad wife is the only shame and disgrace to a woman.
Chapter 3 of The two countesses by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach holds 506 sentences, grouped into 102 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 3 holds 506 sentences of The two countesses, unabridged, divided into 102 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The two countesses by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 506 sentences, grouped into 102 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 102 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 102 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 3 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 two countesses by Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The two countesses section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The two countesses 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 two countesses, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
