Chapter 2 of The Village Rector is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Village Rector is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“The little! Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat! It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.” “Ha! I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
Chapter 2 of The Village Rector is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
From this reading “I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.””
being ten more than thirty
From this reading “It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.””
plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
From this reading “I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.”
something lost (especially money lost at gambling)
From this reading “It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.””
not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances
From this reading “It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.””
an establishment maintained at public expense in order to provide housing for the poor and homeless
From this reading “I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.”
possessing material wealth
From this reading “Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat!”
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 It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
being ten more than thirty
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
(astronomy) the angular distance of a celestial point measured westward along the celestial equator from the zenith crossing; the right ascension for an observer at a particular location and time of day
From this reading “Ha!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “The little!
something lost (especially money lost at gambling)
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat!
not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
not any; not one
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat!
an establishment maintained at public expense in order to provide housing for the poor and homeless
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
possessing material wealth
From this reading Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The little!
in or at that place or location
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I sha’n’t go to the poorhouse for want of a thousand francs or so!” replied the old-iron dealer.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat!
a late time of life
From this reading It is pretty nigh forty years that you have been doing a business in which there are no losses.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why, you must be rich, pere Sauviat!
Chapter 2 of The Village Rector by Honoré de Balzac holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 2 holds 143 sentences of The Village Rector, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Village Rector by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 2 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 Village Rector by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3871 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1899 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1899, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 322 minutes of reading across 775 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Village Rector section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Village Rector 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 Village Rector, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
