Chapter 7 of In the Cage is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of In the Cage is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked. Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before. “Do you mean the guests?” Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure. “Well—the people who live there.”
Chapter 7 of In the Cage is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead
From this reading “Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.”
showing careful forethought
From this reading “Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.”
vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain
From this reading “Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.”
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading ““Do you mean the guests?””
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.”
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading “Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.”
a river in Palestine that empties into the Dead Sea; John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan
From this reading “Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.”
not yet payable
From this reading “Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
anew
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
showing careful forethought
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
a young female
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “Do you mean the guests?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
a river in Palestine that empties into the Dead Sea; John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “Well—the people who live there.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Do you mean the guests?”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “Well—the people who live there.”
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Mrs. Jordan hesitated, and indeed the point had been ambiguous before.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Well—the people who live there.”
not yet payable
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well—the people who live there.”
which person or people
From this reading “Well—the people who live there.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Then you _do_ see them?” the girl again asked.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Her young friend, cautious about an undue exposure of innocence, was not quite sure.
Chapter 7 of In the Cage by Henry James holds 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 63 sentences of In the Cage, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of In the Cage by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 In the Cage by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1637 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1144 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1144, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 136 minutes of reading across 328 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Cage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of In the Cage 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 In the Cage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
