Chapter 7 of Life's Handicap is here in full — 401 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 Life's Handicap is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘Wot’s the good of argifying? Put a bullet into the swine! ‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice. A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir. I can’t see ‘im.
Chapter 7 of Life's Handicap is here in full — 401 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.
with anger
From this reading “A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.”
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice.”
a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading “Put a bullet into the swine!”
a liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house)
From this reading “A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.”
possessive form of “e” — a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.”
stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animals
From this reading “Put a bullet into the swine!”
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 Put a bullet into the swine!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
with anger
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading ‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Wot’s the good of argifying?
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading ‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice.
a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading Put a bullet into the swine!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can’t see ‘im.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
a liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house)
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
possessive form of “e” — a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading ‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading ‘Wot’s the good of argifying?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can’t see ‘im.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can’t see ‘im.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Put a bullet into the swine!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice.
not any; not one
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘Wot’s the good of argifying?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Put a bullet into the swine!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I can’t see ‘im.
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
term of address for a man
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
a British commissioned army officer below the rank of captain
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animals
From this reading Put a bullet into the swine!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘Wot’s the good of argifying?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading ‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading ‘E’s keepin’ us awake!’ said another voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A subaltern shouted angrily, and a dripping sentry whined from the darkness-- ‘’Tain’t no good, sir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Wot’s the good of argifying?
Chapter 7 of Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 401 sentences of Life's Handicap, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 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 Life's Handicap by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6414 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5777 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5777, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 534 minutes of reading across 1283 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Life's Handicap section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Life's Handicap 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 Life's Handicap, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
