Chapter 7 of Hildegarde's Neighbors is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Hildegarde's Neighbors is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"HANDS ACROSS THE SEA." "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge. "Where are you going?" The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident. Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
Chapter 7 of Hildegarde's Neighbors is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
plural of “bicycle” — a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals
From this reading “Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.”
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
From this reading “Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.”
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading “"Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.”
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading “Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.”
-ing form of “peep” — look furtively
From this reading “"Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.”
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading “Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.”
the rays of the sun
From this reading “Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.”
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 Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading "HANDS ACROSS THE SEA."
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Where are you going?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
plural of “bicycle” — a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
confined by bonds
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
the act of departing
From this reading "Where are you going?"
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "HANDS ACROSS THE SEA."
avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues)
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident.
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
-ing form of “peep” — look furtively
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident.
plural of “rider” — a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading "HANDS ACROSS THE SEA."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
the rays of the sun
From this reading Five bicycles stood at the door, glittering in the sunlight; five riders were in the act of mounting, plainly bound on a pleasure-trip.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "HANDS ACROSS THE SEA."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Merryweathers were going to ride; so much was evident.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where are you going?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh, how jolly you all look!" cried Hildegarde, peeping through the hedge.
Chapter 7 of Hildegarde's Neighbors by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 170 sentences of Hildegarde's Neighbors, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Hildegarde's Neighbors by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Hildegarde's Neighbors by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2504 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hildegarde's Neighbors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Hildegarde's Neighbors 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 Hildegarde's Neighbors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
