Vocabulary ladder
War and Peace
Book One, XIX
1,150 words. Everyday vocabulary (band A) covers 59% of the text; the hard 11% is 73 entries — all of them below.
A 58.8% (245 types) B 5.4% (50 types) C 4.5% (44 entries) D 2.2% (23 entries) E 3.0% (22 entries) N 6.1% (28 entries)
Band B — common reading vocabulary
A sample of 24 of 50 — you will meet these often; they are explained only at the fullest help level.
- flushed
- reckless
- enthusiastic
- constitutes
- uttered
- champagne
- scraped
- continually
- glance · glancing ×2
- hollow
- sally
- uncertain
- characterized
- dignity ×2
- declares
- elders
- shouted ×2
- animated
- concentrated
- flaming
- declaration
- laughter
- accent
- screamed
Band C — recognition checklist
All 44 upper-intermediate words in this chapter. Tick the ones you know; the rest are explained at the fullest help level.
- footman
- pucker
- sternly
- despatch
- tumbler
- boldness
- saucy
- proverb
- frown
- fret
- boldly
- startle
- couture
- joyous
- indifference
- mischief
- inquire
- resent
- audible
- stout
- roam
- hush
- truce
- countess
- brow
- desperation
- blush
- dwell
- pineapple
- congratulate
- evidently
- pudding
- carrot
- manifesto
- forbid
- remark
- courier
- prank
- zen
- childish
- nod
- whisper
- splendid
- conquer
Band D — advanced (23 entries)
- tr-r-op
- explained by the text itself
- wineglasses
- a glass for wine
- patriotically
- with love of country
- threateningly
- with a threat
- smartness
- quick boldness
- unerring
- without missing; surely
- approvingly
- with approval
- redder
- more red
- gaiety
- merry brightness
- clink
- to touch glasses in a toast
- deuce
- the devil — a mild oath
- nous
- explained by the text itself
- sanctity
- holy character
- trembled
- to shake finely
- desisted
- to stop
- emphatic
- forceful and insistent
- spindles
- the turning spike that twists thread
- resolute
- firmly determined
- vous
- explained by the text itself
- wiz
- with — the German's accent
- attainment
- reaching a goal
- thumping ×3
- a heavy blow
- gist
- the heart of the matter
Band E — rare & archaic (22 entries)
- connaissez-vous
- explained by the text itself
- fiew
- view — the German's accent
- manifessto
- manifesto — the German's accent
- plood
- blood — the German colonel's accent
- po-o-ossible ×2
- explained by the text itself
- reasson ×2
- reason — the German's accent
- vight
- fight — the German colonel's accent
- vreatening
- threatening — the German's accent
- plethoric
- red-faced and overfull of blood
- merveille
- explained by the text itself
- zere
- there — the German's accent
- convient
- explained by the text itself
- demande
- explained by the text itself
- goot
- good — the German's accent
- cela
- explained by the text itself
- zat ×6
- that — the German's accent
- hussar · hussars ×5
- a light-cavalry soldier
- contralto
- a low female singing voice
- peu
- explained by the text itself
- vill
- villain
- vell ×2
- well — the German's accent
- cackle
- a hen's noise; foolish talk
False friends — common words wearing old senses (1)
- condition
- social rank — the old sense here
Names (14)
- dmítrievna ×11
- a patronymic — daughter of Dmítri
- márya ×11
- a Russian woman's name — Princess Mary and others
- natásha ×7
- Natásha Rostóva, the novel's radiant heroine
- proverbe
- @skip — part of a French phrase the scene goes on to give
- pétya
- Pétya Rostóv, the eager youngest son
- shinshín ×3
- the countess' sharp-tongued Moscow cousin
- suvórov
- the legendary unbeaten Russian field marshal
- suvórovs
- commanders like Suvórov
- sónya ×2
- Sónya, the Rostóvs' gentle, devoted cousin
- cossack
- a horseman-warrior of the southern steppes
- bonaparte
- Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French
- jerome ×2
- Napoleon's brother, king of Westphalia
- nicholas ×3
- Nicholas Rostóv, the eldest Rostóv son
- julie
- Julie Karágina, the wealthy heiress Borís marries