Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Les Misérables
Les Misérables

Chapter CCXXI

Chapter 221, section 1: The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper. The first was thin, and had a lon
Context Illustration Reading 1/119 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.
The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.
The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.
It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.
A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.
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.

Les Misérables

Chapter CCXXI

Reading 1/119 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.
Line 2
The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.
Line 3
The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.
Line 4
It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.
Line 5
A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.”

Second noun US /second/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

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

From this reading “It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.”

Thin adjective US /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading “The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.”

Third noun US /third/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.”

Waiting noun US /ˈwaiting/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.”

All words in this reading · 78

Every word is available to listen to. 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 The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

abruptly

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

allowed

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

appeared

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

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

arrival

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

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.

black

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

blade

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

blouses

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

blue

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

butcher's

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

carried

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

cattle

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

clad

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

colossus

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

cudgel

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

dialogue

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

From this reading A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.

door

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

downward

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

enormous

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

ensued

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

From this reading A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

garret

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

hand

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

handle

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

held

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

iron-tipped

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

Jondrette

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

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

just

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

key

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

linen

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

man

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

masked

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

masks

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

men

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

middle

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.

opened

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

paper

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

pole-axe

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

prison

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

rapid

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

From this reading A rapid dialogue ensued between him and the man with the cudgel, the thin one.

second

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

shoulders

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

slaughtering

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

slender

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

some

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

sort

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

stolen

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

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

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

thick-set

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

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

thinadjectiveUS /θɪn/

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

thirdnounUS /third/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The third, a man with thick-set shoulders, not so slender as the first, held in his hand an enormous key stolen from the door of some prison.

three

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

view

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

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.

waiting

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

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading It appeared that the arrival of these men was what Jondrette had been waiting for.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The first was thin, and had a long, iron-tipped cudgel; the second, who was a sort of colossus, carried, by the middle of the handle, with the blade downward, a butcher’s pole-axe for slaughtering cattle.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The door of the garret had just opened abruptly, and allowed a view of three men clad in blue linen blouses, and masked with masks of black paper.