Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera

Chapter II

Chapter 2, section 1: It was the evening on which MM. Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement. Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sore
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was the evening on which MM.
Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.
Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.
They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.
Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.
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.

The Phantom of the Opera

Chapter II

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was the evening on which MM.
Line 2
Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.
Line 3
Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.
Line 4
They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.
Line 5
Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

Learner Dictionary

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

evening noun US /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading “It was the evening on which MM.”

Collocations
It wasA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
was theA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 77

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 Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

angrily

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

ballet

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

confusion

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

cries

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

crowd

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

dancers

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

dancing

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

Debienne

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

dressing-room

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading It was the evening on which MM.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

forced

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

gala

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

giving

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

half-a-dozen

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

invaded

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was the evening on which MM.

La

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

ladies

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

laughter

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

mad

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

managers

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

mark

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

MM

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

From this reading It was the evening on which MM.

moment

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was the evening on which MM.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

Opera

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

others

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

performance

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

Poligny

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

Polyeucte

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

principal

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

resigning

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

retirement

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

run

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

rushed

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

some

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

Sorelli

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

speech

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

stage

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

SuddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

terror

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was the evening on which MM.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

tumultuous

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

unnatural

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

up

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

vent

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

From this reading They rushed in amid great confusion, some giving vent to forced and unnatural laughter, others to cries of terror.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was the evening on which MM.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Debienne and Poligny, the managers of the Opera, were giving a last gala performance to mark their retirement.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading It was the evening on which MM.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

wished

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

From this reading Sorelli, who wished to be alone for a moment to "run through" the speech which she was to make to the resigning managers, looked around angrily at the mad and tumultuous crowd.

young

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

From this reading Suddenly the dressing-room of La Sorelli, one of the principal dancers, was invaded by half-a-dozen young ladies of the ballet, who had come up from the stage after "dancing" Polyeucte.

Chapter Quiz

What is the central philosophical inquiry and narrative progression in 'Act 02: The Wisdom of The Phantom of the Opera — The Resolution & The Eternal Truth'?

How does the prose style reflect classical academic excellence?

What primary language acquisition value does this text offer advanced English scholars?