Chapter 22 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TORN COAT-SKIRT. In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares." Some one in this shadow? As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming. He had not heard a footstep.
Chapter 22 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
destruction by annihilating something
From this reading “In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."”
imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
From this reading “As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.”
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading “As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.”
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “He had not heard a footstep.”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.”
third-person singular of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to
From this reading “As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.”
plural of “share” — assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group
From this reading “In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."”
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading “THE TORN COAT-SKIRT.”
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 “In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."”
the middle or central part or point
In this reading “In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."”
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 In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
destruction by annihilating something
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TORN COAT-SKIRT.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading He had not heard a footstep.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had not heard a footstep.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He had not heard a footstep.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
set down according to a plan
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had not heard a footstep.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Some one in this shadow?
third-person singular of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Some one in this shadow?
plural of “share” — assets belonging to or due to or contributed by an individual person or group
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some one in this shadow?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TORN COAT-SKIRT.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Some one in this shadow?
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading THE TORN COAT-SKIRT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As nothing so resembles a dream as despair, Jean Valjean fancied that he was dreaming.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the midst of his annihilation a hand was laid on his shoulder, and a low voice said,-- "Half shares."
Chapter 22 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean by Victor Hugo holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 22 holds 183 sentences of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of Les Misérables, V. 5/5: Jean Valjean by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 22 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.
