Les Misérables

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of Les Misérables is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Victor Hugo • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.

The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.

The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter VII Reading 1/16

Les Misérables Victor Hugo

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of Les Misérables is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above. Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent. The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below. The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory. There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

Les Misérables

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of Les Misérables is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

/ðə haʊs ɪn wɪtʃ hiː lɪvd kənˈsɪstəd æz wiː hæv sed ʌv ə ɡraʊnd flɔːr ənd wʌn ˈstɔːri əˈbʌv θriː ruːmz ɑːn ðə ɡraʊnd flɔːr θriː ˈtʃeɪmbərz ɑːn ðə fɜːrst ənd æn ˈætɪk əˈbʌv/

Line 2

Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.

/bɪˈhaɪnd ðə haʊs wɑːz ə ˈɡɑːrdən ə ˈkwɔːrtər ʌv æn ˈeɪkər ɪn ɪkˈstent/

Line 3

The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.

/ðə tuː ˈwɪmən ˈɑːkjəpaɪd ðə fɜːrst flɔːr ðə ˈbɪʃəp wɑːz lɑːdʒd bɪˈloʊ/

Line 4

The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

Line 5

There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

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

acre noun US /ˈeɪkər/

a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries

From this reading “Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.”

attic noun US /ˈætɪk/

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading “The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.”

bedroom noun US /ˈbedruːm/

a room used primarily for sleeping

From this reading “The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.”

chambers noun US /ˈtʃeɪmbərz/

English architect (1723-1796)

consisted verb US /kənˈsɪstəd/

past form of “consist” — originate

exit noun US /ˈeɡzɪt/

an opening that permits escape or release

From this reading “There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.”

lodged verb US /lɑːdʒd/

past form of “lodge” — be a lodger; stay temporarily

From this reading “The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.”

oratory noun US /ˈɔːrətɔːri/

addressing an audience formally (usually a long and rhetorical address and often pompous)

From this reading “The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

ground floor noun + noun

the floor of a building that is at or nearest to the level of the ground around the building

In this reading “The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.”

on the ground preposition + article + noun counted as “on … ground”

In this reading “The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.”

first floor adjective + noun

the floor of a building that is at or nearest to the level of the ground around the building

In this reading “The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.”

three rooms noun + noun

In this reading “The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.”

two women noun + noun counted as “two woman”

In this reading “The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.”

All words in this reading · 61

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

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 The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

acrenounUS /ˈeɪkər/

a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries

From this reading Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

atticnounUS /ˈætɪk/

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

bedroomnounUS /ˈbedruːm/

a room used primarily for sleeping

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.

BishopnounUS /ˈbɪʃəp/

a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ

From this reading The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

chambersnounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbərz/

English architect (1723-1796)

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

consistedverbUS /kənˈsɪstəd/

past form of “consist” — originate

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

dining-roomnoun

a room used for dining

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

exitnounUS /ˈeɡzɪt/

an opening that permits escape or release

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

extentnounUS /ɪkˈstent/

the point or degree to which something extends

From this reading Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

gardennounUS /ˈɡɑːrdən/

a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.

groundnounUS /ɡraʊnd/

the solid part of the earth's surface

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

livedverbUS /lɪvd/

past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

lodgedverbUS /lɑːdʒd/

past form of “lodge” — be a lodger; stay temporarily

From this reading The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

occupiedadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪd/

held or filled or in use

From this reading The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

oratorynounUS /ˈɔːrətɔːri/

addressing an audience formally (usually a long and rhetorical address and often pompous)

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

passingnounUS /ˈpæsɪŋ/

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

possibleadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːsəbəl/

capable of happening or existing

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

quarternounUS /ˈkwɔːrtər/

one of four equal parts

From this reading Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

roomsnounUS /ruːmz/

apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

servedverbUS /sɜːrvd/

past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

thirdnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading The first room, opening on the street, served him as dining-room, the second was his bedroom, and the third his oratory.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Behind the house was a garden, a quarter of an acre in extent.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The house in which he lived consisted, as we have said, of a ground floor, and one story above; three rooms on the ground floor, three chambers on the first, and an attic above.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading There was no exit possible from this oratory, except by passing through the bedroom, nor from the bedroom, without passing through the dining-room.

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The two women occupied the first floor; the Bishop was lodged below.

Chapter 7 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo holds 84 sentences, grouped into 17 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 7 of Les Misérables contain?

Chapter 7 holds 84 sentences of Les Misérables, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 84 sentences, grouped into 17 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

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Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 can be played aloud in United States English.

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Chapter VII

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