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Les Misérables
Les Misérables

Chapter CCCXXIX

Chapter 329, section 1: The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task. The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.
The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.
The sewer, in fact, receives all the counter-shocks of the growth of Paris.
Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.
Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.
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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 CCCXXIX

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.
Line 2
The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.
Line 3
The sewer, in fact, receives all the counter-shocks of the growth of Paris.
Line 4
Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.
Line 5
Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

Learner Dictionary

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

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.”

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.”

Has auxiliary verb US /hæz/

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

From this reading “The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.”

Mysterious adjective US /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading “Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.”

Within preposition US /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading “Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.”

All words in this reading · 60

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 last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

able

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

all

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

From this reading The sewer, in fact, receives all the counter-shocks of the growth of Paris.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

antennæ

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

any

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

arm

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

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

bosom

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

bring

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

centuries

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

city

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

counter-shocks

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

From this reading The sewer, in fact, receives all the counter-shocks of the growth of Paris.

cuts

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

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

earth

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

excavation

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

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

expands

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

fact

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

From this reading The sewer, in fact, receives all the counter-shocks of the growth of Paris.

finish

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

growth

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

From this reading The sewer, in fact, receives all the counter-shocks of the growth of Paris.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The sewer, in fact, receives all the counter-shocks of the growth of Paris.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

more

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

out

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

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

Paris

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

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

polyp

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

receives

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

From this reading The sewer, in fact, receives all the counter-shocks of the growth of Paris.

sewer

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

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

slight

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

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

sort

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

street

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

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

stretches

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

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

task

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

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

ten

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

termination

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The excavation of the sewer of Paris has been no slight task.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

thousand

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Every time that the city cuts a street, the sewer stretches out an arm.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

toiled

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

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

WithinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading Within the bosom of the earth, it is a sort of mysterious polyp with a thousand antennæ, which expands below as the city expands above.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading The last ten centuries have toiled at it without being able to bring it to a termination, any more than they have been able to finish Paris.