Chapter 7 of A Foregone Conclusion is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of A Foregone Conclusion is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety. “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him. “Something I’ve been saying. Well, you won’t have me to laugh at much longer. I do wonder whom you’ll have next.”
Chapter 7 of A Foregone Conclusion is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.”
in a cheerful manner
From this reading ““What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.”
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading ““What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.”
righteousness by virtue of being pious
From this reading “So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Something I’ve been saying.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do wonder whom you’ll have next.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
refrain from doing
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Well, you won’t have me to laugh at much longer.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I do wonder whom you’ll have next.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Something I’ve been saying.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Well, you won’t have me to laugh at much longer.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
for more time
From this reading Well, you won’t have me to laugh at much longer.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Well, you won’t have me to laugh at much longer.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Well, you won’t have me to laugh at much longer.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading I do wonder whom you’ll have next.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
righteousness by virtue of being pious
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “Something I’ve been saying.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “Something I’ve been saying.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
any of numerous tropical or subtropical American plants of the genus Verbena grown for their showy spikes of variously colored flowers
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So miserable, as he was, from head to foot, that it seemed impossible he could endure more, Ferris could not forbear laughing at this burst of piety.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, you won’t have me to laugh at much longer.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
which person or people
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I do wonder whom you’ll have next.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, you won’t have me to laugh at much longer.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I do wonder whom you’ll have next.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What are you laughing at?” asked Mrs. Vervain, who had cheerfully joined him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I do wonder whom you’ll have next.”
Chapter 7 of A Foregone Conclusion by William Dean Howells holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 434 sentences of A Foregone Conclusion, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of A Foregone Conclusion by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Foregone Conclusion by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3514 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7839 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7839, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 292 minutes of reading across 703 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Foregone Conclusion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of A Foregone Conclusion 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 Foregone Conclusion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
