Chapter 17 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA. The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good. We are on the larboard tack. What does the bell prove? Why, that we have land to starboard.”
Chapter 17 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 34 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.”
past form of “confide” — reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading “THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.”
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading “The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “What does the bell prove?”
characterized by violent and forceful activity or movement; very intense
From this reading “THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.”
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.”
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading “Why, that we have land to starboard.””
fasten with tacks
From this reading “We are on the larboard tack.”
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 THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are on the larboard tack.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.
past form of “confide” — reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What does the bell prove?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why, that we have land to starboard.”
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading Why, that we have land to starboard.”
the left side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading We are on the larboard tack.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We are on the larboard tack.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading What does the bell prove?
characterized by violent and forceful activity or movement; very intense
From this reading THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading Why, that we have land to starboard.”
fasten with tacks
From this reading We are on the larboard tack.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why, that we have land to starboard.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The skipper, at the helm, burst out laughing,-- “A bell! that’s good.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE CHARGE CONFIDED TO A RAGING SEA.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are on the larboard tack.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What does the bell prove?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, that we have land to starboard.”
Chapter 17 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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 17 holds 34 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 34 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 17 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 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 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 0 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.
