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The Vicomte de Bragelonne
The Vicomte de Bragelonne

Chapter XXXI · Vive Colbert!

Cover illustration for The Vicomte de Bragelonne
Context Illustration Reading 1/65 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.
The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.
From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.
Now and then there were great movements.
All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Vicomte de Bragelonne

Chapter XXXI · Vive Colbert!

Reading 1/65 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.
Line 2
The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.
Line 3
From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.
Line 4
Now and then there were great movements.
Line 5
All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.”

Center noun US /ˈsɛn.tər/

The middle point or core of an area.

From this reading “All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.”

Distant adjective US /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading “From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Now and then there were great movements.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading “All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.”

All words in this reading · 64

Every word is available to listen to. 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 The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

afar

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

agitated

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

All

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

archers

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

beat

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

became

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

bent

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

centernounUS /ˈsɛn.tər/

The middle point or core of an area.

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

corn

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

ears

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

extended

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

extremities

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

eyes

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

flash

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

fresh

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

frightful

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

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

gibbets

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Now and then there were great movements.

Greve

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

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

heads

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

hedge

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

leveled

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

like

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

made

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

more

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

movements

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

From this reading Now and then there were great movements.

now

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

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

ocean

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

oscillate

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

perspective

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

plain

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

presented

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

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

report

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

rolled

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

rumor

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

spectacle

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

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

surrounded

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

then

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

From this reading Now and then there were great movements.

there

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

From this reading Now and then there were great movements.

thick

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

thousands

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

tides

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading From time to time a fresh report, or a distant rumor, made the heads oscillate and thousands of eyes flash.

vast

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

From this reading The heads, leveled by the perspective, extended afar, thick and agitated as the ears of corn in a vast plain.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

waves

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

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Now and then there were great movements.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The spectacle which the Greve now presented was a frightful one.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading All those ears of corn bent, and became waves more agitated than those of the ocean, which rolled from the extremities to the center, and beat, like the tides, against the hedge of archers who surrounded the gibbets.