Chapter 156 of Les Misérables is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter CLVI
Chapter 156 of Les Misérables is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it. Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit. Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine. Sometimes it is a defect. Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
Chapter 156 of Les Misérables is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/3 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
plural of “add” — a condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders
From this reading “Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.”
a liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent
From this reading “Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.”
an imperfection in a bodily system
From this reading “Sometimes it is a defect.”
for a limitless time
From this reading “Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.”
of or pertaining to Gaul or the Gauls
From this reading “Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit.”
a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading “Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.”
plural of “repeat” — an event that repeats
From this reading “Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.”
French writer who was the embodiment of 18th century Enlightenment (1694-1778)
From this reading “Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.”
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.
In this reading “Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.”
sound practical judgment
In this reading “Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit.
plural of “add” — a condition (mostly in boys) characterized by behavioral and learning disorders
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
a liquor or brew containing alcohol as the active agent
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
a youthful male person
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
an imperfection in a bodily system
From this reading Sometimes it is a defect.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
for a limitless time
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
of or pertaining to Gaul or the Gauls
From this reading Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit.
(sometimes offensive) a homeless boy who has been abandoned and roams the streets
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
plural of “play” — a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
plural of “repeat” — an event that repeats
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
express in words
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
a male human offspring
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
French writer who was the embodiment of 18th century Enlightenment (1694-1778)
From this reading Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine.
Chapter 156 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo holds 16 sentences, grouped into 4 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.
Chapter 156 holds 16 sentences of Les Misérables, unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 156 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 16 sentences, grouped into 4 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.
Work through the 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 4 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 156 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.
Common questions about reading Les Misérables by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Les Misérables section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Les Misérables to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Les Misérables, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
