Chapter 7 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone. Burglars of the third type do not hiss. The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still. “Now hold up both your hands,” commanded the burglar. The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
Chapter 7 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 203 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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 person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading ““Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.”
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading “Burglars of the third type do not hiss.”
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading “The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.”
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
From this reading ““Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.”
a person qualified to practice dentistry
From this reading “The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.”
make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading “Burglars of the third type do not hiss.”
requiring little hard work or exertion
From this reading “The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.”
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading “The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.”
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 citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
the two together, not just one
From this reading “Now hold up both your hands,” commanded the burglar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading “Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
plural of “burglar” — a thief who enters a building with intent to steal
From this reading Burglars of the third type do not hiss.
a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading “Now hold up both your hands,” commanded the burglar.
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
From this reading “Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.
a person qualified to practice dentistry
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Burglars of the third type do not hiss.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading “Now hold up both your hands,” commanded the burglar.
make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading Burglars of the third type do not hiss.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Now hold up both your hands,” commanded the burglar.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Burglars of the third type do not hiss.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now hold up both your hands,” commanded the burglar.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Burglars of the third type do not hiss.
requiring little hard work or exertion
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
a firearm that is held and fired with one hand
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
having a point
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The citizen in the bed looked at the round end of the burglar’s pistol and lay still.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.
not in physical motion
From this reading “Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The citizen had a little, pointed, brown-and-gray beard, like that of a painless dentist.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Burglars of the third type do not hiss.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Lay still,” said the burglar in conversational tone.
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading Burglars of the third type do not hiss.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Now hold up both your hands,” commanded the burglar.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Now hold up both your hands,” commanded the burglar.
Chapter 7 of Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry holds 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 203 sentences of Sixes and Sevens, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 203 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4115 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2851 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2851, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 823 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sixes and Sevens section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Sixes and Sevens 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 Sixes and Sevens, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
