Chapter 2 of Unconscious Comedians is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Unconscious Comedians is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“How could I help it? I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise. A safety lock I call him.” Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business. Pinch a man, means arrest him, lock him up.
Chapter 2 of Unconscious Comedians is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
take into custody
From this reading “Pinch a man, means arrest him, lock him up.”
a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt
From this reading “I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.”
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading “I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.”
fasten with a lock
From this reading “A safety lock I call him.””
a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
From this reading “I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.”
squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading “Pinch a man, means arrest him, lock him up.”
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading “A safety lock I call him.””
plural of “wake” — the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)
From this reading “I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.”
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 I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
take into custody
From this reading Pinch a man, means arrest him, lock him up.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading A safety lock I call him.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “How could I help it?
a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “How could I help it?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A safety lock I call him.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How could I help it?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “How could I help it?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “How could I help it?
fasten with a lock
From this reading A safety lock I call him.”
a wheeled vehicle consisting of a self-propelled engine that is used to draw trains along railway tracks
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Pinch a man, means arrest him, lock him up.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading Pinch a man, means arrest him, lock him up.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading Pinch a man, means arrest him, lock him up.
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading A safety lock I call him.”
cut with a saw
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Seeing a smile on Gaillard’s face he added: “That’s a saying in our business.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
plural of “wake” — the consequences of an event (especially a catastrophic event)
From this reading I never saw such a debtor! he’s a locomotive; goes to sleep in Paris and wakes up in the Seine-et-Oise.
Chapter 2 of Unconscious Comedians by Honoré de Balzac holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 2 holds 155 sentences of Unconscious Comedians, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Unconscious Comedians by Honoré de Balzac exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Unconscious Comedians by Honoré de Balzac on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1075 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1242 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1242, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 89 minutes of reading across 215 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Unconscious Comedians section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Unconscious Comedians 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 Unconscious Comedians, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
