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Little Novels
Little Novels

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Little Novels is here in full — 57 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Little Novels
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
POLITICS.
JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.
His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.
In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.
The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Little Novels

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Little Novels is here in full — 57 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
POLITICS.
/ˈpɑːlətɪks/
Line 2
JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.
Line 3
His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.
/hɪz aɪz priˈzentɪd ðə wʌn ˈfiːtʃər ɪn wɪtʃ hɪz ˈdɔːtər rɪˈzembəld hɪm/
Line 4
In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.
/ɪn ʃeɪp ənd ˈkʌlər ðeɪ wɜːr ɪɡˈzæktli ˌriːprəˈduːst ɪn ˈʃɑːrlət ðə ˈdɪfərəns wɑːz ɪn ðə ɪkˈspreʃən/
Line 5
The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.
/ðə ˈfɑːðərz lʊk wɑːz həˈbɪtʃuːəli ˈrestləs ˈiːɡər ənd səˈspɪʃəs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

appearances noun US /əˈpɪrənsəz/

plural of “appearance” — outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

From this reading “JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.”

feature noun US /ˈfiːtʃər/

a prominent attribute or aspect of something

From this reading “His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.”

habitually adverb US /həˈbɪtʃuːəli/

according to habit or custom

From this reading “The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.”

judging noun US /ˈdʒʌdʒɪŋ/

the cognitive process of reaching a decision or drawing conclusions

From this reading “JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.”

prematurely adverb US /ˌpriːməˈtʃʊrli/

(of childbirth) before the end of the normal period of gestation

From this reading “JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.”

reproduced verb US /ˌriːprəˈduːst/

past form of “reproduce” — make a copy or equivalent of

From this reading “In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.”

resembled verb US /rɪˈzembəld/

past form of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to

From this reading “His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.”

suspicious adjective US /səˈspɪʃəs/

openly distrustful and unwilling to confide

From this reading “The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.”

All words in this reading · 45

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

appearancesnounUS /əˈpɪrənsəz/

plural of “appearance” — outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

Bowmore

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

caresnounUS /kerz/

plural of “care” — the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

CharlottenounUS /ˈʃɑːrlət/

the largest city in North Carolina; located in south central North Carolina

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

colornounUS /ˈkʌlər/

a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

daughternounUS /ˈdɔːtər/

a female human offspring

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

differencenounUS /ˈdɪfərəns/

the quality of being unlike or dissimilar

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

eageradjectiveUS /ˈiːɡər/

having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy

From this reading The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.

exactlyadverbUS /ɪɡˈzæktli/

indicating exactness or preciseness

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

expressionnounUS /ɪkˈspreʃən/

the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/

possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.

featurenounUS /ˈfiːtʃər/

a prominent attribute or aspect of something

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

habituallyadverbUS /həˈbɪtʃuːəli/

according to habit or custom

From this reading The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

JUDGINGnounUS /ˈdʒʌdʒɪŋ/

the cognitive process of reaching a decision or drawing conclusions

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

POLITICSnounUS /ˈpɑːlətɪks/

social relations involving intrigue to gain authority or power

From this reading POLITICS.

prematurelyadverbUS /ˌpriːməˈtʃʊrli/

(of childbirth) before the end of the normal period of gestation

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

presentedverbUS /priˈzentɪd/

past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

reproducedverbUS /ˌriːprəˈduːst/

past form of “reproduce” — make a copy or equivalent of

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

resembledverbUS /rɪˈzembəld/

past form of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

restlessadjectiveUS /ˈrestləs/

worried and uneasy

From this reading The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.

shapenounUS /ʃeɪp/

any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

suspiciousadjectiveUS /səˈspɪʃəs/

openly distrustful and unwilling to confide

From this reading The father's look was habitually restless, eager, and suspicious.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

troubledadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌbəld/

characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

wastedadjectiveUS /ˈweɪstɪd/

serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading In shape and color they were exactly reproduced in Charlotte; the difference was in the expression.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading His eyes presented the one feature in which his daughter resembled him.

wornverbUS /wɔːrn/

Damaged or thinned by continuous use.

From this reading JUDGING by appearances, Mr. Bowmore looked like a man prematurely wasted and worn by the cares of a troubled life.

Chapter 7 of Little Novels by Wilkie Collins holds 57 sentences, grouped into 12 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.

What does chapter 7 of Little Novels contain?

Chapter 7 holds 57 sentences of Little Novels, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Little Novels by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 57 sentences, grouped into 12 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of Little Novels?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Little Novels

Common questions about reading Little Novels by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Little Novels?

Yes. All 3277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1630 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Little Novels is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1630, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Little Novels take to read?

About 273 minutes of reading across 656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Little Novels section by section

How to work through Little Novels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of Little Novels to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Little Novels

Words and structures a reader meets early in Little Novels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Quack
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Disasters
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Follow
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hateful
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Little Novels; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.