Chapter 7 of Bleak House is here in full — 590 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Bleak House is here in full — 590 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?” “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear. “Can’t you wake him?” “No.” “What have you done with your candle?”
Chapter 7 of Bleak House is here in full — 590 sentences across 118 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/118 · 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.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading ““What have you done with your candle?””
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading ““It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.”
possessive form of “lawyer” — a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
plural of “return” — document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability
From this reading ““It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.”
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading “Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?””
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?””
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading ““Can’t you wake him?””
marked by wrinkles
From this reading “Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?””
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 Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Can’t you wake him?”
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “What have you done with your candle?”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
dearly loved
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “What have you done with your candle?”
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “What have you done with your candle?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
uncertain how to act or proceed
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
possessive form of “lawyer” — a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
not any; not one
From this reading “No.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
plural of “return” — document giving the tax collector information about the taxpayer's tax liability
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
express in words
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
plural of “stand” — a support or foundation
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “Can’t you wake him?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What have you done with your candle?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
belonging to which person
From this reading “It’s me,” returns the old man of the house, whose breath is in his ear.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “What have you done with your candle?”
marked by wrinkles
From this reading Our Dear Brother A touch on the lawyer’s wrinkled hand as he stands in the dark room, irresolute, makes him start and say, “What’s that?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Can’t you wake him?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What have you done with your candle?”
Chapter 7 of Bleak House by Charles Dickens holds 590 sentences, grouped into 118 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 590 sentences of Bleak House, unabridged, divided into 118 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Bleak House by Charles Dickens exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 590 sentences, grouped into 118 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 118 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 118 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 Bleak House by Charles Dickens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 19360 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1023 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1023, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3872 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bleak House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Bleak House 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 Bleak House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
