Chapter 7 of To Build a Fire is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of To Build a Fire is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Who will buy a wife?” she asked. “Look at me. I am twenty years old and a maid. I will be a good wife to the man who buys me. If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
Chapter 7 of To Build a Fire is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading ““Who will buy a wife?” she asked.”
plural of “buy” — an advantageous purchase
From this reading “I will be a good wife to the man who buys me.”
put on clothes
From this reading “If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.”
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.”
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading “If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.”
a female domestic
From this reading “I am twenty years old and a maid.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading “I am twenty years old and a maid.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Who will buy a wife?” she asked.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am twenty years old and a maid.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I am twenty years old and a maid.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Who will buy a wife?” she asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Look at me.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I will be a good wife to the man who buys me.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “Who will buy a wife?” she asked.
plural of “buy” — an advantageous purchase
From this reading I will be a good wife to the man who buys me.
put on clothes
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I will be a good wife to the man who buys me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am twenty years old and a maid.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look at me.
a female domestic
From this reading I am twenty years old and a maid.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I will be a good wife to the man who buys me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Look at me.
a particular point in time
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I am twenty years old and a maid.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Who will buy a wife?” she asked.
derogatory terms for an American Indian woman
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I will be a good wife to the man who buys me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I will be a good wife to the man who buys me.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading I am twenty years old and a maid.
a Caucasian
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
which person or people
From this reading “Who will buy a wife?” she asked.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “Who will buy a wife?” she asked.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Who will buy a wife?” she asked.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading If he is a white man, I shall dress in the fashion of white women; if he is an Indian, I shall dress as”—she hesitated a moment—“a squaw.
a late time of life
From this reading I am twenty years old and a maid.
Chapter 7 of To Build a Fire by Jack London holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of To Build a Fire, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of To Build a Fire by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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.
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How to work through To Build a Fire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in To Build a Fire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
