Chapter 7 of Can Such Things Be? is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Can Such Things Be? is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The witness understood. Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read. II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “... The sun had hardly risen when we left the house. We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
Chapter 7 of Can Such Things Be? is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.”
A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.
From this reading “Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.”
plural of “oat” — annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: “oats”)
From this reading “II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...”
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading “Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.”
draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading “We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.”
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading “The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.”
firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges
From this reading “We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.”
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading “The witness understood.”
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 Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
set up or found
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.
come to pass
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
only a very short time before
From this reading The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
plural of “oat” — annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: “oats”)
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
and nothing more
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.
firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The witness understood.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading The witness understood.
up to a particular time
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the passage that he wanted began to read.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
at the time that
From this reading The sun had hardly risen when we left the house.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading II WHAT MAY HAPPEN IN A FIELD OF WILD OATS “...
in the company of; together with
From this reading We were looking for quail, each with a shotgun, but we had only one dog.
someone who sees an event and reports what happened
From this reading The witness understood.
Chapter 7 of Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Can Such Things Be?, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Can Such Things Be? by Ambrose Bierce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2955 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4366 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4366, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 246 minutes of reading across 591 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Can Such Things Be? section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Can Such Things Be? 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 Can Such Things Be?, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
