Chapter 7 of Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident. The family were very poor. Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine. But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels. And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.
Chapter 7 of Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick is here in full — 86 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
having no living father
From this reading “_THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.”
plural of “machine” — any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.”
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “_THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.”
fasten by sewing; do needlework
From this reading “Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.”
maintained at length without interruption or weakening
From this reading “Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.”
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading “But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.”
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading “_THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.”
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 “_THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.”
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 _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
a social unit living together
From this reading The family were very poor.
having no living father
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
plural of “machine” — any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.
engage in
From this reading And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The family were very poor.
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
fasten by sewing; do needlework
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.
maintained at length without interruption or weakening
From this reading Mrs. Martin could sew, and she could have sustained her family if she had had a machine.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
precisely as stated
From this reading The family were very poor.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The family were very poor.
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
during the time that
From this reading And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading _THE WIDOW AND THE FATHERLESS._ The husband of widow Martin had been killed by a railroad accident.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading And so, while others had machines, Mrs. Martin could not make much without one.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading But fingers are not worth much against iron wheels.
Chapter 7 of Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick by Edward Eggleston holds 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 86 sentences of Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick by Edward Eggleston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 86 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick by Edward Eggleston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 549 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52935 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52935, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 45 minutes of reading across 110 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick 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 Mr. Blake's Walking-Stick, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
