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The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Man Who Laughs
Context Illustration Reading 1/8 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
QUESTIONS.
What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?
Were those fugitives Comprachicos?
We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.
There are laws which disperse.
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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 Man Who Laughs

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/8 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
QUESTIONS.
/ˈkwestʃənz/
Line 2
What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?
/wʌt kaɪnd ʌv bænd wɑːz ɪt wɪtʃ hæd left ðə tʃaɪld bɪˈhaɪnd ɪn ɪts flaɪt/
Line 3
Were those fugitives Comprachicos?
Line 4
We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.
Line 5
There are laws which disperse.
/ðer ɑːr lɔːz wɪtʃ dɪˈspɜːrs/

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.

disperse verb US /dɪˈspɜːrs/

distribute loosely

From this reading “There are laws which disperse.”

female adjective US /ˈfiːmeɪl/

being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop

From this reading “We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.”

fugitives noun US /ˈfjuːdʒɪtɪvz/

plural of “fugitive” — someone who flees from an uncongenial situation

From this reading “Were those fugitives Comprachicos?”

laws noun US /lɔːz/

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 “There are laws which disperse.”

male noun US /meɪl/

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

From this reading “We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.”

malefactors noun US /ˈmæləfæktərz/

plural of “malefactor” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

From this reading “We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.”

measures noun US /ˈmeʒərz/

plural of “measure” — any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading “We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.”

Parliament noun US /ˈpɑːrləmənt/

a legislative assembly in certain countries

From this reading “We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.”

All words in this reading · 45

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.

accountnounUS /əˈkaʊnt/

a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

alreadyadverbUS /ɔːlˈredi/

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading There are laws which disperse.

bandnounUS /bænd/

an unofficial association of people or groups

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

Cheylas

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

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

Comprachicos

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

From this reading Were those fugitives Comprachicos?

Comprapequeños

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

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

disperseverbUS /dɪˈspɜːrs/

distribute loosely

From this reading There are laws which disperse.

femaleadjectiveUS /ˈfiːmeɪl/

being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

flightnounUS /flaɪt/

a formation of aircraft in flight

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

fugitivesnounUS /ˈfjuːdʒɪtɪvz/

plural of “fugitive” — someone who flees from an uncongenial situation

From this reading Were those fugitives Comprachicos?

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

IIInoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

lawsnounUS /lɔːz/

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 There are laws which disperse.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

malenounUS /meɪl/

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

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

malefactorsnounUS /ˈmæləfæktərz/

plural of “malefactor” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

measuresnounUS /ˈmeʒərz/

plural of “measure” — any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

otherwiseadverbUS /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

ParliamentnounUS /ˈpɑːrləmənt/

a legislative assembly in certain countries

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

QUESTIONSnounUS /ˈkwestʃənz/

plural of “question” — an instance of questioning

From this reading QUESTIONS.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There are laws which disperse.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Were those fugitives Comprachicos?

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

Wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Were those fugitives Comprachicos?

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading What kind of band was it which had left the child behind in its flight?

William

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

From this reading We have already seen the account of the measures taken by William III. and passed by Parliament against the malefactors, male and female, called Comprachicos, otherwise Comprapequeños, otherwise Cheylas.

Chapter 5 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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 5 of The Man Who Laughs contain?

Chapter 5 holds 40 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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 5 of The Man Who Laughs?

Work through the 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 8 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 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 Man Who Laughs

Common questions about reading The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Man Who Laughs?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Man Who Laughs is used?

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

How long does The Man Who Laughs take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Man Who Laughs section by section

How to work through The Man Who Laughs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  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 Man Who Laughs

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Laughs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Man Who Laughs, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The Man Who Laughs, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.