Chapter 18 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MUD, BUT SOUL. THE CLOACA AND THE SURPRISES. It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself. This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there. It was an extraordinary transition, in the very heart of the city.
Chapter 18 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.”
someone who works underwater
From this reading “This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.”
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading “MUD, BUT SOUL.”
similarity in appearance or external or superficial details
From this reading “This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.”
a waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water
From this reading “It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.”
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “THE CLOACA AND THE SURPRISES.”
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “It was an extraordinary transition, in the very heart of the city.”
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.
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 is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an extraordinary transition, in the very heart of the city.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE CLOACA AND THE SURPRISES.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading MUD, BUT SOUL.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading It was an extraordinary transition, in the very heart of the city.
(zoology) the cavity (in birds, reptiles, amphibians, most fish, and monotremes but not mammals) at the end of the digestive tract into which the intestinal, genital, and urinary tracts open
From this reading THE CLOACA AND THE SURPRISES.
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
someone who works underwater
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading It was an extraordinary transition, in the very heart of the city.
set up or found
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading It was an extraordinary transition, in the very heart of the city.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
water soaked soil; soft wet earth
From this reading MUD, BUT SOUL.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
similarity in appearance or external or superficial details
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
a waste pipe that carries away sewage or surface water
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading MUD, BUT SOUL.
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading THE CLOACA AND THE SURPRISES.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CLOACA AND THE SURPRISES.
in or at that place or location
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading It was an extraordinary transition, in the very heart of the city.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was an extraordinary transition, in the very heart of the city.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was in the sewer of Paris that Jean Valjean found himself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This is a further resemblance of Paris with the sea, as in the ocean the diver can disappear there.
Chapter 18 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean by Victor Hugo holds 96 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 18 holds 96 sentences of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 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 18 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, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5553 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48735 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48735, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 462 minutes of reading across 1111 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean 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, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
