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The Carlovingian Coins
The Carlovingian Coins

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of The Carlovingian Coins is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Eugène Sue • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Carlovingian Coins
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE MARSH OF PEULVEN.
Vast is the marsh of Peulven.
To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.
From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.
To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.
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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.

The Carlovingian Coins

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of The Carlovingian Coins is here in full — 101 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE MARSH OF PEULVEN.
Line 2
Vast is the marsh of Peulven.
Line 3
To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.
/tuː ðə iːst ənd ðə saʊθ ɪts ʃeɪp ɪz laɪk ə beɪ/
Line 4
From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.
Line 5
To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

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.

bordered adjective US /ˈbɔːrdərd/

having a border especially of a specified kind; sometimes used as a combining term

From this reading “From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dense adjective US /dens/

permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter

From this reading “From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
edges noun US /ˈedʒəz/

plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface

From this reading “From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
marsh noun US /mɑːrʃ/

low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water

From this reading “THE MARSH OF PEULVEN.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
skirts noun US /skɜːrts/

plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist

From this reading “From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slopes noun US /sloʊps/

plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation

From this reading “To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spurs noun US /spɜːrz/

plural of “spur” — a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something

From this reading “To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tops adjective US /tɑːps/

of the highest quality

From this reading “To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

dense forest adjective + noun

In this reading “From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.”

904 times in 225,867 chapters
gentle slopes adjective + noun counted as “gentle slope”

In this reading “To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.”

712 times in 225,867 chapters
distant horizon adjective + noun

In this reading “To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.”

479 times in 225,867 chapters
rise in verb + particle

In this reading “To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.”

5,915 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 49

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 To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
baynounUS /beɪ/

an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf

From this reading To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BlackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
borderedadjectiveUS /ˈbɔːrdərd/

having a border especially of a specified kind; sometimes used as a combining term

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Cardik

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

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

Pending verification
denseadjectiveUS /dens/

permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eastnounUS /iːst/

the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees

From this reading To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
edgesnounUS /ˈedʒəz/

plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
empurpledadjective

excessively elaborate or showily expressed

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forestnounUS /ˈfɔːrəst/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
gentleadjectiveUS /ˈdʒentəl/

soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hillsnounUS /hɪlz/

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
horizonnounUS /hərˈaɪzən/

the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Vast is the marsh of Peulven.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MARSHnounUS /mɑːrʃ/

low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water

From this reading THE MARSH OF PEULVEN.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MountainsnounUS /ˈmaʊntənz/

plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
northnounUS /nɔːrθ/

the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE MARSH OF PEULVEN.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
PEULVEN

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

From this reading THE MARSH OF PEULVEN.

Pending verification
raysnounUS /reɪz/

plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
riseverbUS /raɪz/

move upward

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shapenounUS /ʃeɪp/

any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)

From this reading To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
skirtsnounUS /skɜːrts/

plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slopesnounUS /sloʊps/

plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
southnounUS /saʊθ/

the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spursnounUS /spɜːrz/

plural of “spur” — a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
succeedverbUS /səkˈsiːd/

attain success or reach a desired goal

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading From that side its edges are bordered by the skirts of the dense forest of Cardik.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE MARSH OF PEULVEN.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading To the east and the south its shape is like a bay.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
topsadjectiveUS /tɑːps/

of the highest quality

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
VastadjectiveUS /væst/

unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope

From this reading Vast is the marsh of Peulven.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
watersnounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/

United States actress and singer (1896-1977)

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
westnounUS /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
westering

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

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

Pending verification
whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading To the north and west, it waters the gentle slopes of the hills that succeed upon the last spurs of the Black Mountains, whose tops, empurpled by the rays of the westering sun, rise in the distant horizon.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 18 of The Carlovingian Coins by Eugène Sue holds 101 sentences, grouped into 21 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 18 of The Carlovingian Coins contain?

Chapter 18 holds 101 sentences of The Carlovingian Coins, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The Carlovingian Coins by Eugène Sue exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 101 sentences, grouped into 21 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 18 of The Carlovingian Coins?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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 18 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Carlovingian Coins

Common questions about reading The Carlovingian Coins by Eugène Sue on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Carlovingian Coins?

Yes. All 2392 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33021 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Carlovingian Coins is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33021, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Carlovingian Coins take to read?

About 199 minutes of reading across 479 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Carlovingian Coins

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Carlovingian Coins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Carlovingian Coins; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Amael
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Carlovingian Coins; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Vortigern
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Carlovingian Coins; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Courtyard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Carlovingian Coins; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.