Vocabulary ladder

A Tale of Two Cities

Book The First--Recalled to Life, III

False friends35 entries

You know these words. In this book they mean something else.

A wonderful fact to reflect upon
an astonishing thing to think about
A solemn consideration
a serious thought to hold in mind
breasts
chests, standing for the people themselves
awfulness
the fear and wonder it stirs in us
glanced
flashed briefly across, as light does
It was appointed
it was fixed by fate
but a page
only one page
playing on its surface
moving and dancing over the top of the water
the narrow compass
the small enclosed space
pretty often
quite often
by the way
along the road
assorted very well with
matched, went well with
that decoration
the hat, spoken of as if it were something fine, as a joke
the crown
the top of the head
Smith’s work
a blacksmith's work, the man who makes iron spikes and nails
declined him
refused to jump over him
greater authorities within
more important people inside the bank
for
because
driving him into his corner
pushing him into his corner
nodded
kept falling asleep, his head sinking forward
foreign and home connection
its customers abroad and in England
great keys
big keys
sound
in good condition
still
silent, with nothing moving
Now
well, then
passions
strong feelings
worn and wasted
tired out and thinned by suffering
succeeded one another
came one after another
figures
bodies
the broken reply
the answer given in pieces, with pauses
in his fancy
in his imagination
wretched creature
poor suffering person
hanging about his face and hair
with soil still sticking to his face and hair
the reality of
real things, to feel he was awake
the two slumbering forms
the two sleeping shapes

Idioms19 entries

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

in time
some day, given enough time
shut with a spring
snap shut suddenly
in ignorance
knowing nothing of what lay below
the darling of my soul
the person I loved most
keep his own counsel
say nothing of what he was thinking
It wouldn’t do for you
it would be no good for you
it wouldn’t suit _your_ line of business
it would be bad for your kind of work
did what lay in it
did all it could
did a great stroke of business
did a lot of business
not a little
a lot
in the main
mostly
abandoned all hope×2
given up all hope
care to×2
want to
I can’t say×2
I don't know
start to himself
wake with a jerk
fall into the train of
join and follow behind
Out of the midst of them
from among them
lost its hold of them
stopped thinking about them
started to the consciousness of daylight
woke suddenly and knew it was day

Phrasal verbs9 entries

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

shut up
shut inside
found out
caught, discovered
he muffled again
he covered his chin and mouth again with the scarf
to go over
to jump across
drawn through
put through
pounding against
banging into
dug out×2
freed from the ground
pull up the window
close the window by pulling it up
speculate upon
wonder about

Old word forms9 entries

Old forms of words you know. Learn them once.

No more can I
I can no longer
wherein
in which
So with
it was the same with
to that degree that
so much that
was fain
felt he had to
took such shapes to him as
appeared to him in whatever shapes
What time
during which time, meanwhile
thrice
three times
five-and-forty by years
forty-five years old

Words108 entries

In the order you will meet them.

constituted
made, by its very nature
profound
deep and complete
darkly clustered
dark and packed close together
imaginings
private thoughts and pictures of the mind
referable to this
comes partly from this
vainly
without any chance of success
unfathomable
too deep to reach the bottom of or to understand
momentary
lasting only a moment
glimpses
quick, partial sights
submerged
lying under the water
burial-places
grounds where the dead are laid in the earth
a sleeper
a dead person lying in the grounddeliberate indirection the period required
inscrutable
impossible to read or understand
inhabitants
the people who live there
innermost
deepest and most private
messenger×3
the man sent to carry a note
on horseback
riding
the first Minister of State
the chief minister, the most powerful man in the government under the Kingrank
merchant
a trader who buys and sells goods
lumbering
moving heavily and slowly
mail coach
a big horse-drawn carriage that carried the letters, and passengers with theman object or practice the period took for granted
coach and six
a coach pulled by six horses, a rich man's carriagean object or practice the period took for granted
the breadth of a county
a whole county's width, many milesmoney
an easy trot
a horse's steady middle pace, between a walk and a runthe working vocabulary of a trade or field
ale-houses
small pubs that sold beeran object or practice the period took for granted
evincing
showing
cocked
tilted forward
singly
one on its own
sinister
threatening, suggesting evil
cocked-hat
a hat with its edge folded up on three sidesan object or practice the period took for granted
three-cornered
with a three-sided shape
spittoon
a wide bowl kept in pubs for men chewing tobacco to drop the wet brown waste intoan object or practice the period took for granted
muffler
a thick scarf wrapped round the neckan object or practice the period took for granted
throat
the front of the neck
descended
hung down
wearer
the man who had it on
liquor
strong drink
tradesman
a working man with a skill or a shop
Recalled
brought back: the word from the message he carries, and he cannot believe it
Bust me if I don’t think
I would swear thatEnglish respelled to carry an accent
he’d been a drinking
the man who gave him the answer had been drinkingEnglish respelled to carry an accent
perplexed
confused
raggedly
unevenly, in patches
stiff
hard and not bending
jaggedly
in sharp uneven spikes
blunt
flat and rounded at the end
spiked
topped with sharp iron points
leap-frog
a children's game of jumping over a player who bends downan object or practice the period took for granted
trotted
rode at a steady middle pace
the night watchman
a man paid to guard a building through the nightan object or practice the period took for granted
his box
his small shelter at the dooran object or practice the period took for granted
arose out of×2
grew from
the mare
the female horse
shied
jumped to the side in fear, as horses dothe working vocabulary of a trade or field
lumbered
moved heavily and slowly
jolted
jerked roughly
rattled
shook with a loud noise
tedious
long and boring
in the mail
inside the mail coachan object or practice the period took for granted
the leathern strap×2
a hanging loop for a passenger to hold on toan object or practice the period took for granted
jolt
sudden rough bump
dimly gleaming
shining weakly
rattle
the shaking, knocking noise
the harness
the leather straps that tie the horses to the coachan object or practice the period took for granted
chink
the light ringing sound of coins
drafts were honoured
written orders to pay money were paid outthe working vocabulary of a trade or field
the strong-rooms
the locked underground rooms where money and valuables are keptan object or practice the period took for granted
underground
under the ground
feebly-burning
giving only a weak light
ceased
stopped
multitude
great number
indicate
show
principally
mainly
ghastliness
horrible look, like that of a dead body
contempt
the feeling that other people are worthless
defiance
boldly refusing to obey or be beaten
stubbornness
refusing to change one's mind
submission
accepting defeat and doing as one is told
lamentation
loud crying from grief
sunken
hollow, fallen in
cadaverous
pale like a dead body
emaciated
extremely thin from hunger
prematurely
too early, before its time
various and contradictory
of many kinds, and clashing with each other
bewildered
completely confused
imaginary discourse
talk that took place only in his mind
lower
move down
mist×2
thin fog
patch
small area
hedge
a line of bushes along the road
retreating by jerks
falling behind in sudden uneven movements
Banking-house
the bank's buildingan object or practice the period took for granted
strong rooms
the locked rooms where the bank keeps its money and valuablesan object or practice the period took for granted
the real express
the rider who had been sent out with the urgent messagean object or practice the period took for granted
ghostly
pale and unreal, like something from the dead
accost
go up and speak to
admonish
warn, tell him firmly
securely
firmly, so it would not slip
distinctly
clearly
weary
very tired
lowered
moved down
a ridge
a long raised strip
ploughed land
a field turned over for plantingan object or practice the period took for granted
a plough
the farm tool pulled by horses that cuts and turns the soilan object or practice the period took for granted
unyoked
set free from the tool they had been pulling
coppice-wood
a small wood of young trees, cut back regularly for timberan object or practice the period took for granted
still
even now
placid
calm

Words inside the phrases46 entries

These were explained above as part of a longer phrase. Here is what each one means on its own.

alienated
taken away from its owner
arose
came up
assorted
went together with
breadth
how wide something is
bulky
large and taking up space
bundle
things tied or wrapped together
clustered
grouped close together
compass
the space something fits within
consolidation
the joining of parts into one firm whole
contradictory
saying opposite things
decoration
something added to make a thing look fine
dimly
with only a little light
discourse
talk between people
dozing
half asleep
encloses
holds shut inside
fain
glad or obliged to
gleaming
shining softly
harping
going on and on about one thing
horseback
riding on a horse
individuality
the separate self of one person
inexorable
impossible to stop or soften
inheritance
what a person is born owning
inquired
asked
leathern
made of animal skin
mare
a female horse
midst
the middle
muffled
wrapped so the sound is dulled
opiate
a drug that dulls pain and brings sleep
perpetuation
the keeping of something going for ever
plough
the farm tool that cuts and turns the soil
ploughed
turned over by a farm tool ready for planting
referable
able to be traced back
rode
travelled on a horse
slid
moved smoothly along
slumbering
sleeping
solemn
serious and grave
spade
a tool for digging with a flat blade
spectre
a ghost
speculate
to wonder about without knowing
strap
a narrow band for holding something
trot
a horse's steady middle speed
uneasiness
a worried feeling
wandering
moving about with no fixed aim
watchman
a man paid to guard a place at night
wouldn
the short form of would not
wretched
very unhappy and miserable