Chapter 7 of Elsie Venner is here in full — 474 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Elsie Venner is here in full — 474 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next. “Elm St. Monday.” On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border. Envelop adherent, not sealed. Addressed LANGDON ESQ.
Chapter 7 of Elsie Venner is here in full — 474 sentences across 95 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another
From this reading “Envelop adherent, not sealed.”
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading ““Elm St. Monday.””
embellished with a raised pattern created by pressure or embroidery
From this reading “On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.”
enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading “Envelop adherent, not sealed.”
resembling the smell of musk
From this reading “On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.”
of a light shade of red
From this reading “On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.”
plural of “request” — a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an authority
From this reading ““Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.”
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
From this reading ““Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.”
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 “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading Addressed LANGDON ESQ.
someone who believes and helps to spread the doctrine of another
From this reading Envelop adherent, not sealed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
a line that indicates a boundary
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
any of various trees of the genus Ulmus: important timber or shade trees
From this reading “Elm St. Monday.”
embellished with a raised pattern created by pressure or embroidery
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading Envelop adherent, not sealed.
a title of respect for a member of the English gentry ranking just below a knight; placed after the name
From this reading Addressed LANGDON ESQ.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “Elm St. Monday.”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
resembling the smell of musk
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Envelop adherent, not sealed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
of a light shade of red
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
plural of “request” — a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an authority
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
established irrevocably
From this reading Envelop adherent, not sealed.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
relating to human society and its members
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Elm St. Monday.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
the upper part of anything
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
From this reading “Mr. and Mrs. Colonel Sprowle's compliments to Mr. Langdon and requests the pleasure of his company at a social entertainment on Wednesday evening next.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On paper of a pinkish color and musky smell, with a large “S” at the top, and an embossed border.
Chapter 7 of Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 474 sentences, grouped into 95 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 474 sentences of Elsie Venner, unabridged, divided into 95 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 474 sentences, grouped into 95 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 95 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 95 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 Elsie Venner by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5636 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2696 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2696, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 469 minutes of reading across 1128 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elsie Venner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Elsie Venner 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 Elsie Venner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
