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The Iron Pincers
The Iron Pincers

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Iron Pincers is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/47 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MONTFORT AND THE PERFECT.
Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.
Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.
Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.
ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Iron Pincers

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Iron Pincers is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/47 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MONTFORT AND THE PERFECT.
/ˈmɑːntfərt ənd ðə pərˈfekt/
Line 2
Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.
Line 3
Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.
Line 4
Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.
Line 5
ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

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.

addresses noun US /ˈæˈdresɪz/

plural of “address” — (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored

From this reading “ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.”

husband's noun US /ˈhʌzbəndz/

possessive form of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading “Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.”

introduces verb US /ˌɪntrəˈduːsɪz/

third-person singular of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally

From this reading “Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.”

Lambert noun US /ˈlæmbərt/

a cgs unit of illumination equal to the brightness of a perfectly diffusing surface that emits or reflects one lumen per square centimeter

From this reading “Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.”

Leicester noun US /ˈlestər/

a largely agricultural county in central England

From this reading “Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.”

montfort noun US /ˈmɑːntfərt/

an English nobleman who led the baronial rebellion against Henry III (1208-1265)

From this reading “MONTFORT AND THE PERFECT.”

Simon noun US /ˈsaɪmən/

one of the twelve Apostles (first century)

From this reading “Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.”

withdraws verb US /wɪðˈdrɔːz/

third-person singular of “withdraw” — pull back or move away or backward

From this reading “Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.”

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.

thirty years noun + noun

In this reading “Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.”

feeble voice adjective + noun

In this reading “ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.”

great agony adjective + noun

In this reading “Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.”

on a bed preposition + article + noun counted as “on … bed”

In this reading “Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.”

lies on verb + particle counted as “lie on”

In this reading “Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.”

in the chamber preposition + article + noun counted as “in … chamber”

In this reading “Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.”

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 Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

addressesnounUS /ˈæˈdresɪz/

plural of “address” — (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

agonynounUS /ˈæɡ.ə.ni/

Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

Alyx

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

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading MONTFORT AND THE PERFECT.

barelyadverbUS /ˈberli/

only a very short time before

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

chambernounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbər/

a natural or artificial enclosed space

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

couchnounUS /kaʊtʃ/

an upholstered seat for more than one person

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

CountverbUS /kaʊnt/

determine the number or amount of

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

crossingnounUS /ˈkrɔːsɪŋ/

traveling across

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

feebleadjectiveUS /ˈfiːbəl/

pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

husband'snounUS /ˈhʌzbəndz/

possessive form of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

introducesverbUS /ˌɪntrəˈduːsɪz/

third-person singular of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

Karvel

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

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

kneesnounUS /niːz/

plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

LambertnounUS /ˈlæmbərt/

a cgs unit of illumination equal to the brightness of a perfectly diffusing surface that emits or reflects one lumen per square centimeter

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

leavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

LeicesternounUS /ˈlestər/

a largely agricultural county in central England

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

liesnounUS /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

Limoux

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

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

MONTFORTnounUS /ˈmɑːntfərt/

an English nobleman who led the baronial rebellion against Henry III (1208-1265)

From this reading MONTFORT AND THE PERFECT.

Montfort-L'Amaury

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

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

Montmorency

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

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

PERFECTadjectiveUS /pərˈfekt/

being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish

From this reading MONTFORT AND THE PERFECT.

physiciannounUS /fəˈzɪʃən/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

SimonnounUS /ˈsaɪmən/

one of the twelve Apostles (first century)

From this reading Simon, Count of Leicester and of Montfort-L'Amaury lies on a bed in great agony.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MONTFORT AND THE PERFECT.

thirtynounUS /ˈθɜːrdiː/

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

withdrawsverbUS /wɪðˈdrɔːz/

third-person singular of “withdraw” — pull back or move away or backward

From this reading Lambert of Limoux introduces Karvel the Perfect to Alyx and withdraws, leaving him in the chamber.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Alyx of Montmorency, a woman barely thirty years old, is on her knees near her husband's couch.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading ALYX OF MONTMORENCY (crossing herself, addresses the physician in a feeble voice)--"You have been long in coming.

Chapter 18 of The Iron Pincers by Eugène Sue holds 237 sentences, grouped into 48 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 Iron Pincers contain?

Chapter 18 holds 237 sentences of The Iron Pincers, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The Iron Pincers by Eugène Sue exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 237 sentences, grouped into 48 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 Iron Pincers?

Work through the 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 48 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 Iron Pincers

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

Is this the complete text of The Iron Pincers?

Yes. All 2898 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33114 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Iron Pincers is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33114, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Iron Pincers take to read?

About 241 minutes of reading across 580 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Iron Pincers section by section

How to work through The Iron Pincers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Iron Pincers 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 Iron Pincers

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

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