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The Joy of Life [La Joie de Vivre]
The Joy of Life [La Joie de Vivre]

Chapter XVII

Cover illustration for The Joy of Life [La Joie de Vivre]
Context Illustration Reading 1/79 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.
He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.
But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.
'Come and kiss her!' she said to her cousin.
He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Joy of Life [La Joie de Vivre]

Chapter XVII

Reading 1/79 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.
Line 2
He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.
Line 3
But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.
Line 4
'Come and kiss her!' she said to her cousin.
Line 5
He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

Learner Dictionary

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

Agony noun US /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/

Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.

From this reading “He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “'Come and kiss her!' she said to her cousin.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.”

Perspiration noun US /ˌpɜːrspəˈreɪʃən/

sweat produced by the body

From this reading “He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

agonynounUS /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/

Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

all

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

bent

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

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

brow

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

burst

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

came

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

ComenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading 'Come and kiss her!' she said to her cousin.

continue

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

cousin

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

From this reading 'Come and kiss her!' she said to her cousin.

despairingly

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

die

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

down

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

face

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

forehead

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

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

icy

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

intense

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

keenest

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

kiss

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

From this reading 'Come and kiss her!' she said to her cousin.

kissed

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

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

Lazare

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

lips

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

living

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

Louise

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

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

mental

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

mingled

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

moist

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

operations

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

out

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

Pauline

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

From this reading But Pauline bent over Louise and kissed her on the forehead.

perspirationnounUS /ˌpɜːrspəˈreɪʃən/

sweat produced by the body

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

preferable

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

prey

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

progress

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

rather

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

said

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

From this reading 'Come and kiss her!' she said to her cousin.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading 'Come and kiss her!' she said to her cousin.

shuddered

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

sobbing

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

stooped

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

tears

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

torture

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

touched

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

turned

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

wall

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Lazare, who had turned his face to the wall, was sobbing, and burst out into tears.

wife

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

From this reading He came and stooped down over his wife; but he shuddered when his lips touched her brow, which was moist with icy perspiration.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading He had been a prey to the keenest mental torture during the progress of the operations, and he thought despairingly that it would be preferable for them all to die rather than to continue living if such intense agony was to be mingled with life.