Chapter 7 of A Fool There Was is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of A Fool There Was is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Schuyler had turned to him. "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless. Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest. I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable." "Irrevocable, is the word."
Chapter 7 of A Fool There Was is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.”
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading “Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.”
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."”
with obstinate determination
From this reading “"Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.”
incapable of being retracted or revoked
From this reading “"Irrevocable, is the word."”
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading “Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.”
not capable of being changed or altered
From this reading “I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."”
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading “"Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."
with obstinate determination
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Schuyler had turned to him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Schuyler had turned to him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
incapable of being retracted or revoked
From this reading "Irrevocable, is the word."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
express in words
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schuyler had turned to him.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
express in words
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Schuyler had turned to him.
male cat
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Schuyler had turned to him.
not capable of being changed or altered
From this reading I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I've made up my mind; and my decision is unalterable."
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Nothing that you can say will change me in the slightest.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "Irrevocable, is the word."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Look here, Tom," he began, doggedly, "before you begin, I wish to tell you that it is useless.
Chapter 7 of A Fool There Was by Porter Emerson Browne holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 7 holds 440 sentences of A Fool There Was, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of A Fool There Was by Porter Emerson Browne exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Fool There Was by Porter Emerson Browne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3077 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6305 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6305, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 256 minutes of reading across 616 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Fool There Was section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of A Fool There Was to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Fool There Was, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
