Chapter 7 of Claire is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Claire is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PLAYING WITH FIRE. In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work. Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed. "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered. Lawrence straightened up.
Chapter 7 of Claire is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
From this reading “Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.”
being or placed in the center
From this reading “In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “"It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.”
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.”
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading “In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.”
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.”
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “Lawrence straightened up.”
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 “In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.”
straighten oneself
In this reading “Lawrence straightened up.”
In this reading “Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.”
In this reading “In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.”
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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
being or placed in the center
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
start firing a weapon
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
yet to be or coming
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is almost Christmas," announced Philip, as he entered.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
not in physical motion
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading Lawrence straightened up.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Lawrence straightened up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Claire had disappeared behind the canvas curtain which was stretched before her bed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading In the late afternoon, Philip returned to find Lawrence still sitting before the fire, his mind centered on ideas for his future work.
Chapter 7 of Claire by Leslie Burton Blades holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 158 sentences of Claire, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Claire by Leslie Burton Blades exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Claire by Leslie Burton Blades on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4746 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30261 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30261, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 395 minutes of reading across 950 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Claire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Claire 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 Claire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
