Chapter 7 of Gargoyles is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Gargoyles is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But what could he do? Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood. That didn't get it out. When he wrote it came out. But rotten.
Chapter 7 of Gargoyles is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.”
any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading “Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.”
very bad
From this reading “But rotten.”
cut with a saw
From this reading “Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.”
slanderous defamation
From this reading “Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.”
a coating that provides a hard, lustrous, transparent finish to a surface
From this reading “Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.”
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading “Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.”
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “When he wrote it came out.”
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.
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “When he wrote it came out.”
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.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what could he do?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When he wrote it came out.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But what could he do?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That didn't get it out.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading But what could he do?
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading That didn't get it out.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But what could he do?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That didn't get it out.
any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading That didn't get it out.
very bad
From this reading But rotten.
cut with a saw
From this reading Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.
slanderous defamation
From this reading Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That didn't get it out.
a coating that provides a hard, lustrous, transparent finish to a surface
From this reading Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what could he do?
at the time that
From this reading When he wrote it came out.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading Saw wood, smear varnish on wood, monkey around with wood.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading When he wrote it came out.
Chapter 7 of Gargoyles by Ben Hecht holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of Gargoyles, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Gargoyles by Ben Hecht exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Gargoyles by Ben Hecht on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38489 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38489, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gargoyles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Gargoyles 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 Gargoyles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
