Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Executioner's Knife
The Executioner's Knife

Chapter XXXII

Chapter 32 of The Executioner's Knife is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Executioner's Knife
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SENTENCE.
The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.
The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.
They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.
BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Executioner's Knife

Chapter XXXII

Chapter 32 of The Executioner's Knife is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SENTENCE.
/ðə ˈsentəns/
Line 2
The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.
/ðə fʊl ɪˌkliːziˈæstɪkəl trəˈbjuːnəl ɪz əˈsembəld ɪn ə loʊ ˈsɑːmbər ənd ˈvɔːltɪd əˈpɑːrtmənt/
Line 3
The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.
/ðə ˈredʒɪstrɑːr riːdz tuː ðə ɪˌkliːziˈæstɪkəl ˈdʒʌdʒɪz ðə læst ˌɪnteˈrɑːɡətɔːri æt wɪtʃ ðeɪ hæd nɑːt ɔːl bɪn ˈprezənt/
Line 4
They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.
/ðeɪ ɑːr tuː kənˈsɪdər ˈweðər ðə əˈkjuːzd ʃæl biː pʊt tuː ðə ˈtɔːrtʃər/
Line 5
BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

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.

ecclesiastical adjective US /ɪˌkliːziˈæstɪkəl/

of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church)

From this reading “The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.”

interrogatory noun US /ˌɪnteˈrɑːɡətɔːri/

formal systematic questioning

From this reading “The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.”

judges noun US /ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/

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

From this reading “The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.”

reads noun US /riːdz/

plural of “read” — something that is read

From this reading “The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.”

registrar noun US /ˈredʒɪstrɑːr/

a person employed to keep a record of the owners of stocks and bonds issued by the company

From this reading “The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.”

somber adjective US /ˈsɑːmbər/

lacking brightness or color; dull

From this reading “The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.”

tribunal noun US /trəˈbjuːnəl/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading “The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.”

vaulted adjective US /ˈvɔːltɪd/

having a hemispherical vault or dome

From this reading “The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.”

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.

dear brothers adjective + noun counted as “dear brother”

In this reading “BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."”

assembled in verb + particle counted as “assemble in”

In this reading “The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.”

name of verb + particle

In this reading “BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."”

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 The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

accusednounUS /əˈkjuːzd/

a defendant in a criminal proceeding

From this reading They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

apartmentnounUS /əˈpɑːrtmənt/

a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.

assembledverbUS /əˈsembəld/

past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

BISHOPnounUS /ˈbɪʃəp/

a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

brothersnounUS /ˈbrʌðərz/

plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

CAUCHON

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

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

ChurchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

considerverbUS /kənˈsɪdər/

deem to be

From this reading They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

ecclesiasticaladjectiveUS /ɪˌkliːziˈæstɪkəl/

of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church)

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

holynounUS /ˈhoʊli/

a sacred place of pilgrimage

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

interrogatorynounUS /ˌɪnteˈrɑːɡətɔːri/

formal systematic questioning

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

judgesnounUS /ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/

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

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

putverbUS /pʊt/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.

readsnounUS /riːdz/

plural of “read” — something that is read

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

registrarnounUS /ˈredʒɪstrɑːr/

a person employed to keep a record of the owners of stocks and bonds issued by the company

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

SENTENCEnounUS /ˈsentəns/

a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading THE SENTENCE.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.

somberadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːmbər/

lacking brightness or color; dull

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SENTENCE.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

tortureverbUS /ˈtɔːrtʃər/

torment emotionally or mentally

From this reading They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.

tribunalnounUS /trəˈbjuːnəl/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

vaultedadjectiveUS /ˈvɔːltɪd/

having a hemispherical vault or dome

From this reading The full ecclesiastical tribunal is assembled in a low, somber and vaulted apartment.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading They are to consider whether the accused shall be put to the torture.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The registrar reads to the ecclesiastical judges the last interrogatory, at which they had not all been present.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading BISHOP CAUCHON--"My very dear brothers, you are again assembled in the name of our holy Church."

Chapter 32 of The Executioner's Knife by Eugène Sue holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 32 of The Executioner's Knife contain?

Chapter 32 holds 166 sentences of The Executioner's Knife, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 32 of The Executioner's Knife by Eugène Sue exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 32 of The Executioner's Knife?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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 32 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 32 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.