Chapter 238 of Les Misérables is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter CCXXXVIII
Chapter 238 of Les Misérables is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!” It seemed to her almost that she was pretty. This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind. Up to that moment she had never thought of her face. She saw herself in her mirror, but she did not look at herself.
Chapter 238 of Les Misérables is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading “One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!””
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading “One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!””
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “It seemed to her almost that she was pretty.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!””
in a singular manner or to a singular degree
From this reading “This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.”
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.”
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading “This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.”
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading “This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!””
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 This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It seemed to her almost that she was pretty.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She saw herself in her mirror, but she did not look at herself.
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She saw herself in her mirror, but she did not look at herself.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Up to that moment she had never thought of her face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Up to that moment she had never thought of her face.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to her almost that she was pretty.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
a particular point in time
From this reading Up to that moment she had never thought of her face.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Up to that moment she had never thought of her face.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She saw herself in her mirror, but she did not look at herself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading It seemed to her almost that she was pretty.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
cut with a saw
From this reading She saw herself in her mirror, but she did not look at herself.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to her almost that she was pretty.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
in a singular manner or to a singular degree
From this reading This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to her almost that she was pretty.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Up to that moment she had never thought of her face.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One day, Cosette chanced to look at herself in her mirror, and she said to herself: “Really!”
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading This threw her in a singularly troubled state of mind.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Up to that moment she had never thought of her face.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It seemed to her almost that she was pretty.
Chapter 238 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 238 holds 92 sentences of Les Misérables, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 238 of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 238 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.
