Chapter 7 of Marcella is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Marcella is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp. Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness. Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road. At last there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Hurd ran to open it.
Chapter 7 of Marcella is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
the rapid series of noises made by the parts of a machine
From this reading “Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.”
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.”
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “At last there was a knock at the door.”
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.”
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.”
past form of “plait” — make by braiding or interlacing
From this reading “Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.”
plural of “shape” — any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading “Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.”
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading “Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.”
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 Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
the rapid series of noises made by the parts of a machine
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At last there was a knock at the door.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Hurd ran to open it.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading At last there was a knock at the door.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
immediately past
From this reading At last there was a knock at the door.
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
not any; not one
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Mrs. Hurd ran to open it.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
past form of “plait” — make by braiding or interlacing
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Mrs. Hurd ran to open it.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
plural of “shape” — any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
in the near future
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
not in physical motion
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
in or at that place or location
From this reading At last there was a knock at the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The fire sank, and Mrs. Hurd made no haste to light her lamp.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading Mrs. Hurd still plaited, silent and upright, lifting her head every now and then at each sound upon the road.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At last there was a knock at the door.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Soon the old people were dim chattering shapes in a red darkness.
Chapter 7 of Marcella by Humphry, Mrs. Ward holds 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 249 sentences of Marcella, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Marcella by Humphry, Mrs. Ward exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 Marcella by Humphry, Mrs. Ward on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13996 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13728 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13728, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2800 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Marcella section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Marcella 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 Marcella, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
