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The Prussian Terror
The Prussian Terror

Chapter XXV

Chapter 25 of The Prussian Terror is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.
When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.
A man was lying in the boat.
Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.
The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Prussian Terror

Chapter XXV

Chapter 25 of The Prussian Terror is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.
/ðə ɪɡˈzekjətər ˈbenədɪkt hæd dʒʌmpt ˈɪntuː ðə meɪn ɑːn ðə left saɪd ʌv ðə brɪdʒ ðə ˈkɜːrənt ˈkærid hɪm təˈwɔːrdz ðə ˈɑːrtʃəz/
Line 2
When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.
/wen hiː keɪm tuː ðə ˈsɜːrfəs hiː lʊkt raʊnd hɪm ənd sɔː ə boʊt mʊrd tuː wʌn ʌv ðem/
Line 3
A man was lying in the boat.
/ə mæn wɑːz ˈlaɪɪŋ ɪn ðə boʊt/
Line 4
Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.
/ˈbenədɪkt swæm təˈwɔːrdz hɪm wɪð wʌn hænd ˈhoʊldɪŋ hɪz ˈraɪfəl əˈbʌv ðə ˈwɔːtər wɪð ðə ˈʌðər/
Line 5
The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.
/ðə ˈboʊtmən ˈsiːɪŋ hɪm ˈkʌmɪŋ reɪzd hɪz ɔːr/

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.

arches noun US /ˈɑːrtʃəz/

plural of “arch” — a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening

From this reading “THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.”

Benedict noun US /ˈbenədɪkt/

United States anthropologist (1887-1948)

From this reading “THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.”

boatman noun US /ˈboʊtmən/

someone who drives or rides in a boat

From this reading “The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.”

current noun US /ˈkɜːrənt/

a flow of electricity through a conductor

From this reading “THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.”

executor noun US /ɪɡˈzekjətər/

a person appointed by a testator to carry out the terms of the will

From this reading “THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.”

moored verb US /mʊrd/

past form of “moor” — secure in or as if in a berth or dock

From this reading “When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.”

oar noun US /ɔːr/

an implement used to propel or steer a boat

From this reading “The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.”

swam verb US /swæm/

inflected form of “swim” — travel through water

From this reading “Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.”

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.

swam towards verb + particle counted as “swim towards”

In this reading “Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.”

jumped into verb + particle counted as “jump into”

In this reading “THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.”

looked round verb + noun counted as “look round”

In this reading “When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.”

above the water preposition + article + noun counted as “above … water”

In this reading “Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.”

left side noun + noun

In this reading “THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.”

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 When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

archesnounUS /ˈɑːrtʃəz/

plural of “arch” — a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

BenedictnounUS /ˈbenədɪkt/

United States anthropologist (1887-1948)

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

boatnounUS /boʊt/

a small vessel for travel on water

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

boatmannounUS /ˈboʊtmən/

someone who drives or rides in a boat

From this reading The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.

bridgenounUS /brɪdʒ/

a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.

currentnounUS /ˈkɜːrənt/

a flow of electricity through a conductor

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

EXECUTORnounUS /ɪɡˈzekjətər/

a person appointed by a testator to carry out the terms of the will

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

holdingnounUS /ˈhoʊldɪŋ/

the act of retaining something

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A man was lying in the boat.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

jumpedverbUS /dʒʌmpt/

past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

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 THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

lyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/

the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

From this reading A man was lying in the boat.

MainadjectiveUS /meɪn/

most important element

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading A man was lying in the boat.

mooredverbUS /mʊrd/

past form of “moor” — secure in or as if in a berth or dock

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

oarnounUS /ɔːr/

an implement used to propel or steer a boat

From this reading The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

raisedadjectiveUS /reɪzd/

located or moved above the surround or above the normal position

From this reading The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.

rifleverbUS /ˈraɪfəl/

steal goods; take as spoils

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

seeingnounUS /ˈsiːɪŋ/

perception by means of the eyes

From this reading The boatman seeing him coming raised his oar.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

surfacenounUS /ˈsɜːrfəs/

the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

swamverbUS /swæm/

inflected form of “swim” — travel through water

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading THE EXECUTOR Benedict had jumped into the Main on the left side of the bridge; the current carried him towards the arches.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading A man was lying in the boat.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When he came to the surface he looked round him and saw a boat moored to one of them.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Benedict swam towards him with one hand, holding his rifle above the water with the other.

Chapter 25 of The Prussian Terror by Alexandre Dumas holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 25 of The Prussian Terror contain?

Chapter 25 holds 186 sentences of The Prussian Terror, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 25 of The Prussian Terror by Alexandre Dumas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 25 of The Prussian Terror?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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 25 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 25 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 Prussian Terror

Common questions about reading The Prussian Terror by Alexandre Dumas on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Prussian Terror?

Yes. All 4864 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36016 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Prussian Terror is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #36016, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Prussian Terror take to read?

About 405 minutes of reading across 973 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Prussian Terror

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

Gambetta
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prussian Terror; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Enemy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prussian Terror; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Passed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prussian Terror; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beneath
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prussian Terror; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.