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Taking the Bastile
Taking the Bastile

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Taking the Bastile is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Taking the Bastile
Context Illustration Reading 1/14 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE TRIO OF LOVE.
Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.
At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.
She pushed him away, with a scream, then.
The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Taking the Bastile

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of Taking the Bastile is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE TRIO OF LOVE.
/ðə ˈtriːoʊ ʌv lʌv/
Line 2
Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.
Line 3
At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.
Line 4
She pushed him away, with a scream, then.
/ʃiː pʊʃt hɪm əˈweɪ wɪð ə skriːm ðen/
Line 5
The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.
/ðə kwiːn əˈvɜːrtɪd hɜːr aɪz ˌɔːlˈðoʊ ʃiː ɔːt tuː hæv pleɪd ðə ˈwʊmənz pɑːrt ʌv ˈkʌmfərtər/

Learner Dictionary

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.

averted verb US /əˈvɜːrtɪd/

past form of “avert” — prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

From this reading “The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.”

comforter noun US /ˈkʌmfərtər/

a person who commiserates with someone who has had misfortune

From this reading “The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.”

ghostly adjective US /ˈɡoʊstli/

resembling or characteristic of a phantom

From this reading “At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.”

helping noun US /ˈhelpɪŋ/

an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal

From this reading “Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.”

instinctively adverb US /ˌɪnˈstɪŋktɪvliː/

as a matter of instinct

From this reading “Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.”

recognizing verb US /ˈrekəɡnaɪzɪŋ/

-ing form of “recognize” — accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority

From this reading “At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.”

scream verb US /skriːm/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “She pushed him away, with a scream, then.”

trio noun US /ˈtriːoʊ/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading “THE TRIO OF LOVE.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

At length preposition + noun

in a lengthy or prolix manner

In this reading “At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.”

stared at verb + particle counted as “stare at”

In this reading “At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.”

All words in this reading · 47

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading She pushed him away, with a scream, then.

althoughconjunctionUS /ˌɔːlˈðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

Andrea

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

avertedverbUS /əˈvɜːrtɪd/

past form of “avert” — prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading She pushed him away, with a scream, then.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

Charny

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

comforternounUS /ˈkʌmfərtər/

a person who commiserates with someone who has had misfortune

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

consciousnessnounUS /ˈkɑːnʃəsnəs/

an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

ghostlyadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊstli/

resembling or characteristic of a phantom

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

helpingnounUS /ˈhelpɪŋ/

an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

instinctivelyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈstɪŋktɪvliː/

as a matter of instinct

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

knowingadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊɪŋ/

evidencing the possession of inside information

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

lengthnounUS /leŋkθ/

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

LOVEnounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading THE TRIO OF LOVE.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE TRIO OF LOVE.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

playedadjectiveUS /pleɪd/

(of games) engaged in

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

pushedverbUS /pʊʃt/

past form of “push” — move with force

From this reading She pushed him away, with a scream, then.

QueennounUS /kwiːn/

the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

recognizingverbUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪzɪŋ/

-ing form of “recognize” — accept (someone) to be what is claimed or accept his power and authority

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

recoververbUS /rɪˈkʌvər/

get or find back; recover the use of

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

screamverbUS /skriːm/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading She pushed him away, with a scream, then.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

staredverbUS /sterd/

past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE TRIO OF LOVE.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading She pushed him away, with a scream, then.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

TRIOnounUS /ˈtriːoʊ/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading THE TRIO OF LOVE.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

WithoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Without knowing who was helping her, Andrea began to recover consciousness but instinctively she knew help had come.

woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/

possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The Queen averted her eyes although she ought to have played the woman's part of comforter.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading At length, with open but ghostly eyes, she stared at Charny without yet recognizing him.

Chapter 20 of Taking the Bastile by Alexandre Dumas holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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.

What does chapter 20 of Taking the Bastile contain?

Chapter 20 holds 73 sentences of Taking the Bastile, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Taking the Bastile by Alexandre Dumas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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.

How do I study chapter 20 of Taking the Bastile?

Work through the 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 15 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.

Can chapter 20 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 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.

Questions about reading Taking the Bastile

Common questions about reading Taking the Bastile by Alexandre Dumas on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Taking the Bastile?

Yes. All 4063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45424 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Taking the Bastile is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #45424, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Taking the Bastile take to read?

About 338 minutes of reading across 813 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Taking the Bastile section by section

How to work through Taking the Bastile section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Taking the Bastile to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Taking the Bastile

Words and structures a reader meets early in Taking the Bastile, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Enclosed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Taking the Bastile; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Equal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Taking the Bastile; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Signs
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Taking the Bastile; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Symbol-pointing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Taking the Bastile; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.