Chapter 7 of May Fair is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of May Fair is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I couldn’t help laughing. The young Jew looked so surprised. He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously. But I had laughed too soon. There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
Chapter 7 of May Fair is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
caused to show discomposure
From this reading “He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.”
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.”
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading “There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.”
a person belonging to the worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to it) and connected by cultural or religious ties
From this reading “The young Jew looked so surprised.”
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading “There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.”
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading “There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.”
make a dull sound
From this reading “There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “I couldn’t help laughing.”
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 There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
caused to show discomposure
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I had laughed too soon.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I couldn’t help laughing.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But I had laughed too soon.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I couldn’t help laughing.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I couldn’t help laughing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
a person belonging to the worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to it) and connected by cultural or religious ties
From this reading The young Jew looked so surprised.
and nothing more
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading But I had laughed too soon.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading I couldn’t help laughing.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The young Jew looked so surprised.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
in a serious manner
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The young Jew looked so surprised.
in the near future
From this reading But I had laughed too soon.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading The young Jew looked so surprised.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young Jew looked so surprised.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
make a dull sound
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But I had laughed too soon.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He’d never before been talked to just in that way and it bothered him, he was used to doing the laughing and being taken seriously.
make a soft swishing sound
From this reading There was a whizz by my ear, a thud on the door behind me, and a knife an inch deep in the panel.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young Jew looked so surprised.
Chapter 7 of May Fair by Michael Arlen holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 422 sentences of May Fair, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of May Fair by Michael Arlen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 May Fair by Michael Arlen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through May Fair section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of May Fair 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 May Fair, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
