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Poems — Volume 2
Poems — Volume 2

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Poems — Volume 2
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.
When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.
Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.
Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Poems — Volume 2

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of Poems — Volume 2 is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.
/ˈɡɑːsəps kaʊnt hɜːr fɔːlts ðeɪ ˈskaʊər ə ˈneroʊ ˈtʃeɪmbər wer ðer ɪz noʊ ˈwɪndoʊ red nɑːt ˈhevən ɔːr hɜːr/
Line 2
When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.
/wen ʃiː wɑːz ə ˈtaɪni wʌn eɪdʒd ˈwʊmən ˈkweɪvərz plʌks æt maɪ hɑːrt ənd liːdz miː baɪ ðə iːr/
Line 3
Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.
/fɔːlts ʃiː hæd wʌns æz ʃiː lɜːrnt tuː rʌn ənd ˈtʌmbəld fɔːlts ʌv ˈfiːtʃər sʌm siː ˈbjuːti nɑːt kəmˈpliːt/
Line 4
Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.
/jet ɡʊd ˈɡɑːsəps ˈbjuːti ðæt meɪks ˈhoʊli ɜːrθ ənd er meɪ hæv fɔːlts frʌm hed tuː fiːt/
Line 5

Learner Dictionary

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.

faults noun US /fɔːlts/

plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading “Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.”

feature noun US /ˈfiːtʃər/

a prominent attribute or aspect of something

From this reading “Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.”

gossips noun US /ˈɡɑːsəps/

plural of “gossip” — light informal conversation for social occasions

From this reading “Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.”

learnt verb US /lɜːrnt/

inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills

From this reading “Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.”

Plucks noun US /plʌks/

plural of “pluck” — the trait of showing courage and determination in spite of possible loss or injury

From this reading “‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.”

quavers noun US /ˈkweɪvərz/

plural of “quaver” — a tremulous sound

From this reading “‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.”

scour verb US /ˈskaʊər/

examine minutely

From this reading “Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.”

tumbled verb US /ˈtʌmbəld/

past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing

From this reading “Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

agedadjectiveUS /eɪdʒd/

advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

beautynounUS /ˈbjuːti/

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

chambernounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbər/

a natural or artificial enclosed space

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

completeverbUS /kəmˈpliːt/

come or bring to a finish or an end

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

countverbUS /kaʊnt/

determine the number or amount of

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

earnounUS /iːr/

the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

EarthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

faultsnounUS /fɔːlts/

plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

featurenounUS /ˈfiːtʃər/

a prominent attribute or aspect of something

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

GossipsnounUS /ˈɡɑːsəps/

plural of “gossip” — light informal conversation for social occasions

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

heavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

holynounUS /ˈhoʊli/

a sacred place of pilgrimage

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

leadsnounUS /liːdz/

plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

learntverbUS /lɜːrnt/

inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

makesnounUS /meɪks/

plural of “make” — a recognizable kind

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

narrowverbUS /ˈneroʊ/

make or become more narrow or restricted

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

PlucksnounUS /plʌks/

plural of “pluck” — the trait of showing courage and determination in spite of possible loss or injury

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

quaversnounUS /ˈkweɪvərz/

plural of “quaver” — a tremulous sound

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

runverbUS /rʌn/

move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

scourverbUS /ˈskaʊər/

examine minutely

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

tinyadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪni/

very small

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

tumbledverbUS /ˈtʌmbəld/

past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing

From this reading Faults she had once as she learnt to run and tumbled: Faults of feature some see, beauty not complete.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Where there is no window, read not heaven or her.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading ‘When she was a tiny,’ one aged woman quavers, Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear.

YetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet, good gossips, beauty that makes holy Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet.

Chapter 7 of Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

What does chapter 7 of Poems — Volume 2 contain?

Chapter 7 holds 149 sentences of Poems — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of Poems — Volume 2?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Poems — Volume 2

Common questions about reading Poems — Volume 2 by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Poems — Volume 2?

Yes. All 2831 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Poems — Volume 2 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1382, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Poems — Volume 2 take to read?

About 235 minutes of reading across 567 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Poems — Volume 2 section by section

How to work through Poems — Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of Poems — Volume 2 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Poems — Volume 2

Words and structures a reader meets early in Poems — Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Picture
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Poems
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Poems — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.