A Tale of Two Cities: 40 words to know before you read it
The 40 words Charles Dickens uses again and again in A Tale of Two Cities that are outside the 4,000 most common in English. Learn them first and the opening chapters read much more easily. Each comes with its pronunciation and a sentence from the book.
knit/ˈnɪt/61× in the book
… white with what they suppressed; nor foreheads knitted into the likeness of the gallows-rope they mused about enduring, or inflicting.
carriage/ˈkæɹɪdʒ/51× in the book
Say, shall I hire a carriage and post-horses?”
mender48× in the book
… as the like of himself had drooped before Monseigneur of the Court—only the difference was, that these faces drooped merely to suffer and not to propitiate—when a grizzled mender of the roads joined the group.
fountain/ˈfaʊntən/42× in the book
At last, swooping at a street corner by a fountain, one of its wheels came to a sickening little jolt …
morrow/ˈmɑɹoʊ/37× in the book
… the iron gates were being closed with a jar and a rattle, and the dismal place was deserted until to-morrow morning’s interest of gallows, pillory …
courtyard/ˈkɔɹtˌjɑɹd/35× in the book
The doorway of the staircase gives on the little courtyard close to the left here,” pointing with his hand, “near to the window of my establishment.
patriot/ˈpeɪtɹiət/30× in the book
That, this patriot would be produced before them.
bless/ˈbɫɛs/29× in the book
Mrs. Southcott had recently attained her five-and-twentieth blessed birthday, of whom a prophetic private in the Life Guards had heralded the sublime appearance by announcing that arrangements were made for the swallowing up of London and Westminster.
honour/ˈɑnɝ/28× in the book
… and his body burned alive, because he had not kneeled down in the rain to do honour to a dirty procession of monks which passed within his view, at a distance of some fifty or sixty yards.
pity/ˈpɪti/26× in the book
As he said the words he looked down, with an admiring pity, on the flowing golden hair; as if he pictured to himself that it might have been already tinged with grey.
afterwards/ˈæftɝwɝdz/25× in the book
She quickly brought them down and handed them in;—and immediately afterwards leaned against the door-post, knitting, and saw nothing.
stairs/ˈstɛɹz/24× in the book
Thus, Monsieur Defarge, in a stern voice, to Mr. Lorry, as they began ascending the stairs.
dreadful/ˈdɹɛdfəɫ/24× in the book
The faintness of the voice was pitiable and dreadful.
nephew/ˈnɛfju/24× in the book
“My nephew,” said the Marquis, glancing at the supper preparation; “they said he was not arrived.”
gaoler23× in the book
“You are not the gaoler’s daughter?”
dread/ˈdɹɛd/23× in the book
… and always going on the side which Mr. Lorry took, as though he dreaded to be asked any question by the young lady, turned himself about here …
staircase/ˈstɛɹˌkeɪs/23× in the book
In the gloomy tile-paved entry to the gloomy tile-paved staircase, Monsieur Defarge bent down on one knee to the child of his old master, and put her hand to his lips.
escort/ˈɛskɔɹt/23× in the book
The great bell of Saint Paul’s was striking one in the cleared air, when Mr. Lorry, escorted by Jerry, high-booted and bearing a lantern, set forth on his return-passage to Clerkenwell.
summon/ˈsəmən/22× in the book
“She had laid her head upon my shoulder, that night when I was summoned out—she had a fear of my going, though I had none—and when I was brought to the North Tower they found these upon my sleeve.
favour/ˈfeɪvɝ/21× in the book
… in combination, had read that article of war which forbade a purpose otherwise strongly in favour of the argument, that some brute animals are endued with Reason …
vain/ˈveɪn/20× in the book
He had a good leg, and was a little vain of it, for his brown stockings fitted sleek and close …
heap/ˈhip/20× in the book
The beach was a desert of heaps of sea and stones tumbling wildly about, and the sea did what it liked, and what it liked was destruction.
straw/ˈstɹɔ/20× in the book
… he had only to shut himself up inside, keep the flint and steel sparks well off the straw, and get a light with tolerable safety and ease (if he were lucky) in five minutes.
faint/ˈfeɪnt/20× in the book
A faint voice answered something.
emigrant/ˈɛməɡɹənt/19× in the book
… treason against the majesty of the people, in that I have acted against them for an emigrant.
lighted/ˈɫaɪtəd/19× in the book
A face habitually suppressed and quieted, was still lighted up under the quaint wig by a pair of moist bright eyes that it must have cost their owner, in years gone by …
weep/ˈwip/19× in the book
… but I hope it is—if you hear in my voice any resemblance to a voice that once was sweet music in your ears, weep for it, weep for it!
fancy/ˈfænsi/19× in the book
After such imaginary discourse, the passenger in his fancy would dig, and dig, dig—now with a spade, now with a great key, now with his hands—to dig this wretched creature out.
tumbril18× in the book
… Death, had already set apart to be his tumbrils of the Revolution.
colour/ˈkəɫɝ/18× in the book
… being of a surface black, with no depth in the colour or form, and much too near together—as if they were afraid of being found out in something …
bosom/ˈbʊzəm/18× in the book
… at once in an auspicious and an evil hour detecting his infamy, had resolved to immolate the traitor he could no longer cherish in his bosom, on the sacred altar of his country.
messenger/ˈmɛsəndʒɝ/18× in the book
“I know this messenger, guard,” said Mr. Lorry …
footstep/ˈfʊtˌstɛp/18× in the book
On hearing footsteps close at hand, these three turned, and rose, and showed themselves to be the three of one name who had been drinking in the wine-shop.
softly/ˈsɔfɫi/18× in the book
softly over the coach roof.
shoemaker/ˈʃuˌmeɪkɝ/17× in the book
“I want,” said Defarge, who had not removed his gaze from the shoemaker, “to let in a little more light here.
clasp/ˈkɫæsp/17× in the book
… in a soothing tone, bringing his left hand from the back of the chair to lay it on the supplicatory fingers that clasped him in so violent a tremble: “pray control your agitation—a matter of business.
darling/ˈdɑɹɫɪŋ/17× in the book
… my love, the darling of my soul, is dead …
mist/ˈmɪst/17× in the book
There was a steaming mist in all the hollows, and it had roamed in its forlornness up the hill, like an evil spirit, seeking rest and finding none.
cruel/ˈkɹuəɫ/17× in the book
The deepened marks in the nose, and the lengthening of the fine straight lines in the cruel face, looked ominous as to that …
spare/ˈspɛɹ/17× in the book
… if the poor lady had suffered so intensely before her little child was born, that she came to the determination of sparing the poor child the inheritance of any part of the agony she had known the pains of, by rearing her in the belief that her father was dead—No …
Pronunciation: ipa-dict (MIT), from Wiktionary.
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