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The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Chapter IV

Chapter 4, section 1: While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, pr
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.
His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.
Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.
“Hold, my friend, you cannot pass!”
The man in the leather jerkin shouldered him aside.
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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.

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Chapter IV

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.
Line 2
His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.
Line 3
Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.
Line 4
“Hold, my friend, you cannot pass!”
Line 5
The man in the leather jerkin shouldered him aside.

Learner Dictionary

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

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.”

Order noun US /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.”

Stopped noun US /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

abreast

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

aside

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

From this reading The man in the leather jerkin shouldered him aside.

bows

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

broad

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

bull-dog

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

cannot

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

From this reading “Hold, my friend, you cannot pass!”

doublet

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

eminence

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

enter

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

exchanging

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

face

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

felt

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

few

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

fox

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

friend

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

From this reading “Hold, my friend, you cannot pass!”

Ghent

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

groom

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

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

Guillaume

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

Hold

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

From this reading “Hold, my friend, you cannot pass!”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

jerkin

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

large

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

leather

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

lofty

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

low

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

lower

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

made

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

man

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “Hold, my friend, you cannot pass!”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

pass

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

From this reading “Hold, my friend, you cannot pass!”

pensioner

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

presented

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

Presuming

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

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

pronounced

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

Rym

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

shouldered

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

From this reading The man in the leather jerkin shouldered him aside.

shoulders

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

side

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

silk

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

some

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

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

spot

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

stature

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

stolen

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

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

stoppednounUS /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

surrounded

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

usher

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

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

velvet

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

very

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

voices

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading His felt doublet and leather jerkin made a spot on the velvet and silk which surrounded him.

WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Presuming that he was some groom who had stolen in, the usher stopped him.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

words

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

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading While the pensioner of Ghent and his eminence were exchanging very low bows and a few words in voices still lower, a man of lofty stature, with a large face and broad shoulders, presented himself, in order to enter abreast with Guillaume Rym; one would have pronounced him a bull-dog by the side of a fox.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Hold, my friend, you cannot pass!”