Chapter 7 of Anthem is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Anthem is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard. We look upon our hands. We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils. And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity. May knowledge come to us!
Chapter 7 of Anthem is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
replying
From this reading “We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.”
plural of “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading “We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.”
plural of “evil” — morally objectionable behavior
From this reading “We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.”
something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
From this reading “We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.”
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading “We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.”
regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of
From this reading “And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.”
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading “We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.”
plural of “stir” — a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event
From this reading “And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.”
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.
at or in the front
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
replying
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
plural of “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading May knowledge come to us!
remove the dust from
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
plural of “evil” — morally objectionable behavior
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading We look upon our hands.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading May knowledge come to us!
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May knowledge come to us!
not any; not one
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
and nothing more
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
by chance
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
plural of “stir” — a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading May knowledge come to us!
a formal word for “on”
From this reading We look upon our hands.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading May knowledge come to us!
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading We see the dust of centuries, the dust which hid [-the-] great secrets and perhaps great evils.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading And yet it stirs no fear within our heart, but only silent reverence and pity.
but in spite of that
From this reading We look ahead, we beg our heart for guidance in answering this call no voice has spoken, yet we have heard.
Chapter 7 of Anthem by Ayn Rand holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 198 sentences of Anthem, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Anthem by Ayn Rand exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Anthem by Ayn Rand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1249 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1249, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 117 minutes of reading across 281 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Anthem section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Anthem 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 Anthem, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
