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.
But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid. Was the Toyman worth while? You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say. Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble. Fatty Hamm started it.
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 62/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 306–310
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.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.”
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading “Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.”
containing or composed of fat
From this reading “Fatty Hamm started it.”
having or deserving or conferring glory
From this reading “Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Fatty Hamm started it.”
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading “But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.”
a source of difficulty
From this reading “Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.”
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading “Was the Toyman worth while?”
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 Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.
containing or composed of fat
From this reading Fatty Hamm started it.
having or deserving or conferring glory
From this reading Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fatty Hamm started it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Fatty Hamm started it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
and nothing more
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
on one occasion
From this reading Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
express in words
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Fatty Hamm started it.
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Was the Toyman worth while?
a source of difficulty
From this reading Once during that long and glorious afternoon they had trouble.
precisely as stated
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was the Toyman worth while?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But the Hamms, like many other people, were very stupid.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
during the time that
From this reading Was the Toyman worth while?
a smooth-textured sausage of minced beef or pork usually smoked; often served on a bread roll
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading Was the Toyman worth while?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You just ask Jehosophat and Marmaduke and Hepzebiah and Wienerwurst, and hear what _they_ have to say.
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.
