Chapter 1 of Half-Past Seven Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Half-Past Seven Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green." And what did he want a brush for? To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots? Or to wipe up Reddy out of his hole? However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.
Chapter 1 of Half-Past Seven Stories is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 35/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 171–175
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.
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading “And what did he want a brush for?”
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."”
plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading “The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."”
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading “The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."”
reflecting light
From this reading “To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?”
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading “However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.”
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading “However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.”
rub with a circular motion
From this reading “Or to wipe up Reddy out of his hole?”
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 And what did he want a brush for?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And what did he want a brush for?
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading And what did he want a brush for?
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And what did he want a brush for?
every person
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And what did he want a brush for?
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And what did he want a brush for?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
an opening into or through something
From this reading Or to wipe up Reddy out of his hole?
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
a woman of refinement
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.
plural of “mi” — destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Or to wipe up Reddy out of his hole?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Or to wipe up Reddy out of his hole?
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Or to wipe up Reddy out of his hole?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.
reflecting light
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To brush his fine cap and red coat or his shiny boots?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Or to wipe up Reddy out of his hole?
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading And what did he want a brush for?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And what did he want a brush for?
at the time that
From this reading The boys thought that was funny, calling their mother "madam," when everybody in the neighborhood called her "Mis' Green."
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading However, the Toyman was whispering: "He means Reddy's tail.
rub with a circular motion
From this reading Or to wipe up Reddy out of his hole?
Chapter 1 of Half-Past Seven Stories by Robert Gordon Anderson holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 1 holds 410 sentences of Half-Past Seven Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Half-Past Seven Stories by Robert Gordon Anderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 1 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 Half-Past Seven Stories by Robert Gordon Anderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2778 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7505 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7505, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 231 minutes of reading across 556 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Half-Past Seven Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Half-Past Seven Stories 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 Half-Past Seven Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
