Chapter 7 of Songs of a Savoyard is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Songs of a Savoyard is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude. If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks. Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around. Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too. And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
Chapter 7 of Songs of a Savoyard is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
possessive form of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
any mechanism of geared wheels that is driven by a coiled spring; resembles the works of a mechanical clock
From this reading “Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.”
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading “IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.”
plural of “gesture” — motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading “If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.”
plural of “lark” — North American songbirds having a yellow breast
From this reading “If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.”
a favorite saying of a sect or political group
From this reading “And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!””
a position in a grammatical linguistic construction in which a variety of alternative units are interchangeable
From this reading “And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!””
lacking kindness
From this reading “If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.”
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 And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
possessive form of “action” — something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.
for the reason that
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
any mechanism of geared wheels that is driven by a coiled spring; resembles the works of a mechanical clock
From this reading Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
to or in any or all places
From this reading Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.
set up or found
From this reading Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.
plural of “gesture” — motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
plural of “lark” — North American songbirds having a yellow breast
From this reading If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.
the sound of laughing
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
engage in
From this reading If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Clockwork figures may be found Everywhere and all around.
a favorite saying of a sect or political group
From this reading And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
plural of “remark” — a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.
socially incorrect in behavior
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
a position in a grammatical linguistic construction in which a variety of alternative units are interchangeable
From this reading And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
not moving or operating freely
From this reading IF my action’s stiff and crude, Do not laugh, because it’s rude.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the motto of the lot, “Put a penny in the slot!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
lacking kindness
From this reading If my gestures promise larks, Do not make unkind remarks.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Ten to one, if I but knew, You are clockwork figures too.
Chapter 7 of Songs of a Savoyard by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert holds 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 82 sentences of Songs of a Savoyard, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Songs of a Savoyard by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 Songs of a Savoyard by W. S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 800 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #934 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #934, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 66 minutes of reading across 160 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Songs of a Savoyard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Songs of a Savoyard 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 Songs of a Savoyard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
