Chapter 215 of Les Misérables is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter CCXV
Chapter 215 of Les Misérables is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police. “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place. Would you like to speak to him? Are you in haste?” “Yes,” said Marius.
Chapter 215 of Les Misérables is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.”
past form of “ascend” — travel up
From this reading “On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.”
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading ““The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.”
a retail store that sells equipment and provisions (usually to military personnel)
From this reading “On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.”
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading “Are you in haste?””
a high ranking police officer
From this reading ““The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.”
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading “On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.”
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
From this reading “On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.”
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.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
In this reading “On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.”
the floor of a building that is at or nearest to the level of the ground around the building
In this reading “On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
In this reading “Are you in haste?””
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you in haste?”
-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
past form of “ascend” — travel up
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
a retail store that sells equipment and provisions (usually to military personnel)
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading Are you in haste?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Would you like to speak to him?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Are you in haste?”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
a high ranking police officer
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Would you like to speak to him?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes,” said Marius.
not any; not one
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
express in speech
From this reading Would you like to speak to him?
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On arriving at No. 14, Rue de Pontoise, he ascended to the first floor and inquired for the commissary of police.
which person or people
From this reading “The commissary of police is not here,” said a clerk; “but there is an inspector who takes his place.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Would you like to speak to him?
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” said Marius.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Would you like to speak to him?
Chapter 215 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 215 holds 100 sentences of Les Misérables, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 215 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 215 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.
