Chapter 31 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MISANTHROPY PLAYS ITS PRANKS. A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness. It was enough to drive one back: he advanced. To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting. That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.
Chapter 31 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
frightening because of an awareness of danger
From this reading “A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.”
providing freedom from worry
From this reading “To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.”
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading “A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.”
the sound of growling (as made by animals)
From this reading “That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.”
emit long loud cries
From this reading “To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.”
plural of “prank” — acting like a clown or buffoon
From this reading “MISANTHROPY PLAYS ITS PRANKS.”
having confidence restored; freed from anxiety
From this reading “That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.”
something that is a source of danger
From this reading “That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.”
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 A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
frightening because of an awareness of danger
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
providing freedom from worry
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
the sound of growling (as made by animals)
From this reading That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
emit long loud cries
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading MISANTHROPY PLAYS ITS PRANKS.
hatred of mankind
From this reading MISANTHROPY PLAYS ITS PRANKS.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
plural of “play” — a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading MISANTHROPY PLAYS ITS PRANKS.
plural of “prank” — acting like a clown or buffoon
From this reading MISANTHROPY PLAYS ITS PRANKS.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
having confidence restored; freed from anxiety
From this reading That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
something that is a source of danger
From this reading That fierce growl reassured him; that threat was a promise.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A strange and alarming grinding of teeth reached him through the darkness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was enough to drive one back: he advanced.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To those to whom silence has become dreadful a howl is comforting.
Chapter 31 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 31 holds 430 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 31 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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How to work through The Man Who Laughs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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.
