Chapter 7 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.] JOY. [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs! [DICK, in flannels and a hard straw hat comes in. He is a quiet and cheerful boy of twenty.
Chapter 7 of Plays : First Series is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 activity of keeping something secret
From this reading “[She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]”
move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading “[On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!”
plural of “flannel” — a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothing
From this reading “[DICK, in flannels and a hard straw hat comes in.”
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading “[She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]”
characteristic of rural life
From this reading “[On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!”
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading “[She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]”
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “[She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]”
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading “[On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!”
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 [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
a youthful male person
From this reading He is a quiet and cheerful boy of twenty.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading He is a quiet and cheerful boy of twenty.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading [DICK, in flannels and a hard straw hat comes in.
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
someone who is a detective
From this reading [DICK, in flannels and a hard straw hat comes in.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
plural of “flannel” — a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothing
From this reading [DICK, in flannels and a hard straw hat comes in.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading [DICK, in flannels and a hard straw hat comes in.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading [DICK, in flannels and a hard straw hat comes in.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is a quiet and cheerful boy of twenty.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is a quiet and cheerful boy of twenty.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading JOY.
staying power
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He is a quiet and cheerful boy of twenty.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
make a painting
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
metal or earthenware cooking vessel that is usually round and deep; often has a handle and lid
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading He is a quiet and cheerful boy of twenty.
characteristic of rural life
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading [DICK, in flannels and a hard straw hat comes in.
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading He is a quiet and cheerful boy of twenty.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
in the company of; together with
From this reading [She sits down on the swing, concealing the paint pot with her feet and skirts.]
plural of “worm” — any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading [On the rustic seat, and in a violent whisper.] I hope the worms will crawl up your legs!
Chapter 7 of Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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.
Chapter 7 holds 395 sentences of Plays : First Series, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Plays : First Series by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7555 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5055 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5055, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1511 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Plays : First Series section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Plays : First Series 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 Plays : First Series, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
