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The Executioner's Knife
The Executioner's Knife

Chapter XXXI

Chapter 31 of The Executioner's Knife is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Executioner's Knife
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE TEMPTATION.
Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.
She is chained by the waist and feet as before.
She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.
Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Executioner's Knife

Chapter XXXI

Chapter 31 of The Executioner's Knife is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE TEMPTATION.
/ðə temˈteɪʃən/
Line 2
Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.
Line 3
She is chained by the waist and feet as before.
/ʃiː ɪz tʃeɪnd baɪ ðə weɪst ənd fiːt æz bɪˈfɔːr/
Line 4
She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.
/ʃiː hæz waʊnd sʌm ræɡz ərˈaʊnd ðə ˈhevi ˈaɪərn rɪŋz æt hɜːr ˈæŋkəlz/
Line 5
Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.
/ðer ˈpreʃər meɪd hɜːr fleʃ sɔːr ənd ɪn spɑːts broʊk ɪt tuː ðə kwɪk kriˈeɪtɪŋ ˈpeɪnfəl wuːndz/

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.

ankles noun US /ˈæŋkəlz/

plural of “ankle” — a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus

From this reading “She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.”

chained adjective US /tʃeɪnd/

bound with chains

From this reading “She is chained by the waist and feet as before.”

creating verb US /kriˈeɪtɪŋ/

-ing form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become

From this reading “Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.”

dilapidated adjective US /dəˈlæpədeɪtɪd/

in deplorable condition

From this reading “Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.”

exhaustion noun US /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/

extreme fatigue

From this reading “Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.”

interrogatory noun US /ˌɪnteˈrɑːɡətɔːri/

formal systematic questioning

From this reading “Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.”

Livid adjective US /ˈlɪvɪd/

anemic looking from illness or emotion

From this reading “Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.”

reclines verb US /rɪˈklaɪnz/

third-person singular of “recline” — move the upper body backwards and down

From this reading “Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.”

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.

male attire noun + noun

In this reading “Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.”

reclines upon verb + particle counted as “recline upon”

In this reading “Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.”

heavy iron adjective + noun

In this reading “She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.”

appeared before verb + particle counted as “appear before”

In this reading “Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She is chained by the waist and feet as before.

anklesnounUS /ˈæŋkəlz/

plural of “ankle” — a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading She is chained by the waist and feet as before.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

attirenounUS /əˈtaɪər/

clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading She is chained by the waist and feet as before.

cellnounUS /sel/

A small stone room in a prison where an inmate is locked behind iron bars.

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

chainedadjectiveUS /tʃeɪnd/

bound with chains

From this reading She is chained by the waist and feet as before.

creatingverbUS /kriˈeɪtɪŋ/

-ing form of “create” — make or cause to be or to become

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

Darc

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

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

dilapidatedadjectiveUS /dəˈlæpədeɪtɪd/

in deplorable condition

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

exhaustionnounUS /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/

extreme fatigue

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading She is chained by the waist and feet as before.

finaladjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəl/

occurring at or forming an end or termination

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

fleshnounUS /fleʃ/

the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

haggardadjectiveUS /ˈhæɡərd/

showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

interrogatorynounUS /ˌɪnteˈrɑːɡətɔːri/

formal systematic questioning

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

ironnounUS /ˈaɪərn/

a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

Joan

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

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

judgesnounUS /ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/

a book of the Old Testament that tells the history of Israel under the leaders known as judges

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

LividadjectiveUS /ˈlɪvɪd/

anemic looking from illness or emotion

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

malenounUS /meɪl/

an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

painfuladjectiveUS /ˈpeɪnfəl/

causing physical or psychological pain

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

pressurenounUS /ˈpreʃər/

the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

quickadjectiveUS /kwɪk/

accomplished rapidly and without delay

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

ragsnounUS /ræɡz/

plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

reclinesverbUS /rɪˈklaɪnz/

third-person singular of “recline” — move the upper body backwards and down

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

ringsnounUS /rɪŋz/

gymnastic apparatus consisting of a pair of heavy metal circles (usually covered with leather) suspended by ropes; used for gymnastic exercises

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

soreadjectiveUS /sɔːr/

hurting

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

spotsnounUS /spɑːts/

spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

strawnounUS /strɔː/

plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

TEMPTATIONnounUS /temˈteɪʃən/

something that seduces or has the quality to seduce

From this reading THE TEMPTATION.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE TEMPTATION.

TheirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

waistnounUS /weɪst/

the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips

From this reading She is chained by the waist and feet as before.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Livid, haggard, broken with exhaustion after her final interrogatory, Joan Darc reclines upon the straw of her cell; her male attire is still more dilapidated than when she first appeared before her judges.

woundnounUS /waʊnd/

an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)

From this reading She has wound some rags around the heavy iron rings at her ankles.

woundsnounUS /wuːndz/

plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)

From this reading Their pressure made her flesh sore, and in spots broke it to the quick, creating painful wounds.

Chapter 31 of The Executioner's Knife by Eugène Sue holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 31 of The Executioner's Knife contain?

Chapter 31 holds 138 sentences of The Executioner's Knife, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 31 of The Executioner's Knife by Eugène Sue exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 31 of The Executioner's Knife?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 31 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 31 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 Executioner's Knife

Common questions about reading The Executioner's Knife by Eugène Sue on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Executioner's Knife?

Yes. All 5473 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37399 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Executioner's Knife is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #37399, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Executioner's Knife take to read?

About 456 minutes of reading across 1095 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Executioner's Knife section by section

How to work through The Executioner's Knife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Executioner's Knife 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 The Executioner's Knife

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Executioner's Knife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

History
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Executioner's Knife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Proletarian
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Executioner's Knife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Family
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Executioner's Knife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Across
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Executioner's Knife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.