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Twenty Years After
Twenty Years After

Chapter XXIX · The Workmen

Cover illustration for Twenty Years After
Context Illustration Reading 1/51 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.
It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.
Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.
He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.
The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.
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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.

Twenty Years After

Chapter XXIX · The Workmen

Reading 1/51 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.
Line 2
It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.
Line 3
Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.
Line 4
He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.
Line 5
The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.”

Beneath preposition US /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading “Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.”

Start noun US /start/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.”

All words in this reading · 66

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 Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

allowed

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

From this reading The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

arose

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

ask

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

awoke

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

bed

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

beg

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

blows

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.

Charles

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

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

clinking

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

cranching

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

disturb

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

dressed

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

echo

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

endure

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

gently

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

gloomy

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

hammer

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

hatchet

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

heard

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

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

heart

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

king

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

leave

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

From this reading The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.

Lying

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

midnight

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

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

more

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

noise

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

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

Parry

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

pass

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

From this reading The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.

pincers

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

post

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

From this reading The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.

saws

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

From this reading It arose from blows of hammer and hatchet, clinking of pincers and cranching of saws.

sent

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

sentinel

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

slumber

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

startnounUS /start/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

strike

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

TowardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

unwilling

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

From this reading The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The sentinel was unwilling to leave his post, but allowed Parry to pass.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.

window

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

From this reading Toward midnight Charles heard a great noise beneath his window.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Lying dressed upon his bed, the noise awoke him with a start and found a gloomy echo in his heart.

workmen

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

From this reading He could not endure it, and sent Parry to ask the sentinel to beg the workmen to strike more gently and not disturb the last slumber of one who had been their king.