Chapter 4 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SUPERHUMAN LAWS. The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean. It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word. It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon. Hence many disasters.
Chapter 4 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 130 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
plural of “disaster” — a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading “Hence many disasters.”
of or pertaining to atmospheric phenomena, especially weather and weather conditions
From this reading “It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.”
(chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
From this reading “It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.”
plural of “mystery” — something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.”
make less visible or unclear
From this reading “It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.”
any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning
From this reading “It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.”
a storm with widespread snowfall accompanied by strong winds
From this reading “The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.”
above or beyond the human or demanding more than human power or endurance
From this reading “SUPERHUMAN LAWS.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
plural of “disaster” — a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading Hence many disasters.
divisible by two
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
for this reason
From this reading Hence many disasters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
From this reading SUPERHUMAN LAWS.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Hence many disasters.
of or pertaining to atmospheric phenomena, especially weather and weather conditions
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
(chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
plural of “mystery” — something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.
make less visible or unclear
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
a storm with widespread snowfall accompanied by strong winds
From this reading The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
above or beyond the human or demanding more than human power or endurance
From this reading SUPERHUMAN LAWS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The snowstorm is one of the mysteries of the ocean.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It is a mixture of fog and storm; and even in our days we cannot well account for the phenomenon.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading It is the most obscure of things meteorological--obscure in every sense of the word.
Chapter 4 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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.
Chapter 4 holds 130 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 130 sentences, grouped into 26 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.
Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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.
Common questions about reading The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 14399 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12587 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12587, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2880 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Laughs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Man Who Laughs to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Laughs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
