Vocabulary ladder

A Tale of Two Cities

Book The First--Recalled to Life, I

Idioms50 entries

Fixed expressions with a settled meaning of their own. Worth learning once.

we had everything before us
our whole future was still to come
in short
to say it briefly
so far
so much like
for good or for evil
whether people called it good or bad
clearer than crystal
perfectly clear
settled for ever
fixed, and would never change
at that favoured period, as at this
in that lucky time, as in our own
heralded the sublime appearance
had said in advance that she was coming, and that her coming would be grand
the swallowing up
the sinking into the earth
the English Crown and People
the King and the people of England
strange to relate
odd as it sounds
making paper money and spending it
printing money and spending it
Under the guidance of her Christian pastors
led by her priests
to do honour
to show respect
a dirty procession of monks
a muddy line of holy men walking together in their long robes
within his view
where he could see it
rooted in the woods
growing in the forests
terrible in history
that history would remember with horror
tillers of the heavy lands
farmers of the thick soil
adjacent to
next to
rude carts, bespattered with rustic mire
rough farm wagons, splashed with country mud
snuffed about by pigs
sniffed at by pigs
set apart
already chosen
went about
moved from place to place
muffled tread
quiet footsteps
to entertain any suspicion that they were awake
to suspect that they were at work
atheistical and traitorous
against God and against the king
Daring burglaries
bold break-ins
publicly cautioned
warned in public notices
removing their furniture to upholsterers’ warehouses
putting their furniture where furniture-makers keep goods safe
in his character of
acting the part of
rode away
went away on his horse
the mail was waylaid by seven robbers
the horse-drawn carriage that carried the letters was attacked by seven armed men
in consequence of the failure of his ammunition
because he had run out of bullets; these are the official words, quoted to mock them
in peace
with nobody left to stop them
was made to stand and deliver
was forced to stop and hand over his money; that was the robber’s command
despoiled the illustrious creature
robbed the great man
in sight of all his retinue
in front of all his servants
loaded with rounds of shot and ball
loaded with small pellets and bullets
much out of the common way
at all unusual
In the midst of them
in the middle of all this
ever busy and ever worse than useless
always at work and always doing more harm than good
was in constant requisition
was needed all the time
taken on Tuesday
caught on Tuesday
by the dozen
many of them, over and over
taking the life of
killing, here by hanging
came to pass
happened
worked unheeded
worked and nobody noticed
carried their divine rights with a high hand
used the God-given power they claimed, and used it harshly
the creatures of this chronicle
the people of this story

Phrasal verbs5 entries

A verb and a small word that together mean something the two words do not.

rapping out its messages
spelling out its messages by knocking on the walls
kneeled down
gone down on his knees
to come down and be sawn into boards
to be cut down and cut into flat pieces of wood
roosted in by poultry
slept in by hens
snipped off diamond crosses
cut the jewels from their necks

Noun phrases14 entries

A group of words naming a person or a thing, explained together.

the age of wisdom
the time when people had good sense
the present period
the writer’s own time
its noisiest authorities
its loudest experts
a large jaw
a heavy lower face
a plain face
an ordinary face, not beautiful
a fair face
a beautiful face
highway robberies
robberies on the open roads
the capital itself
London itself
noble lords
rich men born into the country’s most important families
contraband goods
goods brought in without paying the tax
an atrocious murderer
a horrible murderer
a wretched pilferer
a miserable thief who stole small things of little value
trod with stir enough
moved through their lives with plenty of fuss and show
myriads of small creatures
countless small people

Old word forms5 entries

Old forms of words you know. Learn them once.

attained her five-and-twentieth blessed birthday
reached her twenty-fifth birthday
the spirits of this very year last past
the ghosts of only last year
torn out
pulled out
the rather, forasmuch as
all the more because
to-morrow
and the next day, killing

Words19 entries

In the order you will meet them.

foolishness
having no sense
epoch
a long stretch of time
incredulity
refusing to believe anything
going direct the other way
going straight to hell; he will not say the worddeliberate indirection the period required
a round dozen of years
a full twelve yearsmoney
pincers
a metal tool for gripping and tearing
fifty or sixty yards
about fifty metres awaymoney
sufferer
the young man they killed
outhouses
small farm buildings outside the house
his tumbrils of the Revolution
the carts that would carry people to their death when the French rose against their rulersan object or practice the period took for granted
the Lord Mayor of London
the head of London’s city governmentrank
gaols
prisons
turnkeys
prison guards
Court drawing-rooms
the rooms where the king received visitorsan object or practice the period took for granted
musketeers
soldiers with long guns
the mob
the crowd
occurrences
things that happened
hangman
the man paid to hang people
sixpence
six pennies, a very small summoney