Chapter 7 of Billy Budd is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Billy Budd is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head. ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid. There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it. But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha. And you know, sir, that women will have their whimseys.’
Chapter 7 of Billy Budd is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
past form of “debate” — argue with one another
From this reading “‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.”
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.”
force somebody to do something
From this reading “But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.”
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading “There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.”
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading “‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.”
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.”
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading “There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.”
In this reading “‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.”
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 There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
later than; following
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.
past form of “debate” — argue with one another
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
one or the other of two
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
force somebody to do something
From this reading But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.
the likelihood of a thing occurring rather than not occurring
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
many times at short intervals
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
term of address for a man
From this reading And you know, sir, that women will have their whimseys.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading And you know, sir, that women will have their whimseys.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading ‘I have often debated in my mind whether it really paid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And you know, sir, that women will have their whimseys.’
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading But I like to oblige a good wife like Martha.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And you know, sir, that women will have their whimseys.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I don’t know about that,’ said William, shaking his head.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading And you know, sir, that women will have their whimseys.’
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading There’s not much odds, either way, between a wet walk after hard work, and a wet dinner before it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And you know, sir, that women will have their whimseys.’
Chapter 7 of Billy Budd by Herman Melville holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 394 sentences of Billy Budd, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Billy Budd by Herman Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Billy Budd by Herman Melville on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5450 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76513 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76513, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 454 minutes of reading across 1090 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Billy Budd section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Billy Budd 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 Billy Budd, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
