Chapter 7 of One Man's Initiation—1917 is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of One Man's Initiation—1917 is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"So you like it, Will? You like this sort of thing?" Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads. Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose. A champagne bottle rested against his knees.
Chapter 7 of One Man's Initiation—1917 is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading “A champagne bottle rested against his knees.”
a white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there
From this reading “A champagne bottle rested against his knees.”
a thick fatty oil (especially one used to lubricate machinery)
From this reading “Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.”
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading “Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.”
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading “Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.”
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading “Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.”
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading “A champagne bottle rested against his knees.”
a smoky fire to drive away insects
From this reading “Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.”
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 Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading A champagne bottle rested against his knees.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading A champagne bottle rested against his knees.
a white sparkling wine either produced in Champagne or resembling that produced there
From this reading A champagne bottle rested against his knees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
a thick fatty oil (especially one used to lubricate machinery)
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "So you like it, Will?
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading A champagne bottle rested against his knees.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "So you like it, Will?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You like this sort of thing?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading A champagne bottle rested against his knees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
a smoky fire to drive away insects
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So you like it, Will?
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading You like this sort of thing?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
a special situation
From this reading You like this sort of thing?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading You like this sort of thing?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Martin Howe was stretched on the grass of a hillside a little above a cross-roads.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "So you like it, Will?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "So you like it, Will?
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading Beside him squatted a ruddy-faced youth with a smudge of grease on his faintly-hooked nose.
Chapter 7 of One Man's Initiation—1917 by John Dos Passos holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of One Man's Initiation—1917, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of One Man's Initiation—1917 by John Dos Passos exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 One Man's Initiation—1917 by John Dos Passos on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2003 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24202 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24202, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 166 minutes of reading across 401 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through One Man's Initiation—1917 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of One Man's Initiation—1917 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 One Man's Initiation—1917, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
