Les Misérables

Chapter CXVII

Chapter 117 of Les Misérables is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 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 child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

He sat down beside her and began to think.

Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

He clearly perceived this truth, the foundation of his life henceforth, that so long as she was there, so long as he had her near him, he should need nothing except for her, he should fear nothing except for her.

He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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Chapter CXVII Reading 1/9

Les Misérables

Chapter CXVII

Chapter 117 of Les Misérables is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/9 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

/ðə tʃaɪld hæd leɪd hɜːr hed ɑːn ə stoʊn ənd ˈfɑːlən əˈsliːp/

Line 2

He sat down beside her and began to think.

/hiː sæt daʊn bɪˈsaɪd hɜːr ənd bɪˈɡæn tuː θɪŋk/

Line 3

Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

/ˈlɪtəl baɪ ˈlɪtəl æz hiː ɡeɪzd æt hɜːr hiː ɡruː kɑːm ənd riˈɡeɪnd pəˈzeʃən ʌv hɪz ˈfriːdəm ʌv maɪnd/

Line 4

/hiː ˈklɪrli pərˈsiːvd ðɪs truːθ ðə faʊnˈdeɪʃən ʌv hɪz laɪf ˈhenˈsfɔːrθ ðæt soʊ lɔːŋ æz ʃiː wɑːz ðer soʊ lɔːŋ æz hiː hæd hɜːr nɪr hɪm hiː ʃʊd niːd ˈnʌθɪŋ ɪkˈsept fɔːr hɜːr hiː ʃʊd fɪr ˈnʌθɪŋ ɪkˈsept fɔːr hɜːr/

Line 5

He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

/hiː wɑːz nɑːt ˈiːvɪn ˈkɑːnʃəs ðæt hiː wɑːz ˈveri koʊld sɪns hiː hæd ˈteɪkən ɔːf hɪz koʊt tuː ˈkʌvər hɜːr/

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.

clearly adverb US /ˈklɪrli/

without doubt or question

From this reading “He clearly perceived this truth, the foundation of his life henceforth, that so long as she was there, so long as he had her near him, he should need nothing except for her, he should fear nothing except for her.”

conscious adjective US /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading “He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.”

cover verb US /ˈkʌvər/

provide with a covering or cause to be covered

From this reading “He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.”

foundation noun US /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/

the basis on which something is grounded

freedom noun US /ˈfriːdəm/

the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints

From this reading “Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.”

henceforth adverb US /ˈhenˈsfɔːrθ/

from this time forth; from now on

perceived adjective US /pərˈsiːvd/

detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues

regained verb US /riˈɡeɪnd/

past form of “regain” — get or find back; recover the use of

From this reading “Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.”

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.

regained possession verb + noun counted as “regain possession”

In this reading “Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.”

clearly perceived adverb + adjective

In this reading “He clearly perceived this truth, the foundation of his life henceforth, that so long as she was there, so long as he had her near him, he should need nothing except for her, he should fear nothing except for her.”

on a stone preposition + article + noun counted as “on … stone”

In this reading “The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.”

All words in this reading · 63

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 child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading He sat down beside her and began to think.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading He sat down beside her and began to think.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

calmverbUS /kɑːm/

make calm or still

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

clearlyadverbUS /ˈklɪrli/

without doubt or question

From this reading He clearly perceived this truth, the foundation of his life henceforth, that so long as she was there, so long as he had her near him, he should need nothing except for her, he should fear nothing except for her.

coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

consciousadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

coververbUS /ˈkʌvər/

provide with a covering or cause to be covered

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading He sat down beside her and began to think.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

fallenadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːlən/

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

foundationnounUS /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/

the basis on which something is grounded

freedomnounUS /ˈfriːdəm/

the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

gazedverbUS /ɡeɪzd/

past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

grewverbUS /ɡruː/

inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He sat down beside her and began to think.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

henceforthadverbUS /ˈhenˈsfɔːrθ/

from this time forth; from now on

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

LittleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

neednounUS /niːd/

a condition requiring relief

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

perceivedadjectiveUS /pərˈsiːvd/

detected by instinct or inference rather than by recognized perceptual cues

possessionnounUS /pəˈzeʃən/

the act of having and controlling property

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

regainedverbUS /riˈɡeɪnd/

past form of “regain” — get or find back; recover the use of

From this reading Little by little, as he gazed at her, he grew calm and regained possession of his freedom of mind.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading He sat down beside her and began to think.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The child had laid her head on a stone and fallen asleep.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading He sat down beside her and began to think.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He sat down beside her and began to think.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading He was not even conscious that he was very cold, since he had taken off his coat to cover her.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

Chapter 117 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo holds 46 sentences, grouped into 10 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 117 of Les Misérables contain?

Chapter 117 holds 46 sentences of Les Misérables, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 117 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 46 sentences, grouped into 10 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.

How do I study chapter 117 of Les Misérables?

Work through the 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 10 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 117 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 117 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter CXVII

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