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Les Misérables, V. 1/5: Fantine
Les Misérables, V. 1/5: Fantine

Chapter XXXIV

Cover illustration for Les Misérables, V. 1/5: Fantine
Context Illustration Reading 1/48 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
OBSTACLES.
The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.
They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.
The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.
The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.
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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, V. 1/5: Fantine

Chapter XXXIV

Reading 1/48 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
OBSTACLES.
Line 2
The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.
Line 3
They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.
Line 4
The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.
Line 5
The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

Learner Dictionary

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

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

armed

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

Arras

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

axle-trees

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

back

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

bags

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

black

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

box

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

carriages

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

carried

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

compartment

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

dating

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

distance

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

driver

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

Empire

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

front

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

German

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

hung

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

immense

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

kept

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

leather

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

letter-bags

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

lined

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

M

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

mail-carts

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

oblong

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

OBSTACLES

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

From this reading OBSTACLES.

offensive

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

only

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

other

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

painted

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

passenger

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

roads

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

seats

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

seen

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

small

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

springs

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

tawny

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

two

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

two-wheeled

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

vehicles

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

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The letter-bags between Arras and M---- were still carried in small mail-carts, dating from the Empire.

wheels

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The wheels were armed with those long offensive axle-trees, which kept other carriages at a distance, and may still be seen on German roads.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading They were two-wheeled vehicles, lined with tawny leather, hung on springs, and having only two seats, one for the driver, and another for a passenger.

yellow

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

From this reading The compartment for the bags was an immense oblong box at the back; it was painted black, and the front part was yellow.