Chapter 7 of Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 204 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 Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VII. Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her. I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining. But somehow she got it out of me. "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
Chapter 7 of Stepping Heavenward is here in full — 204 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.
-ing form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading “I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.”
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.”
marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea
From this reading “"One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.”
concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church
From this reading “"One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.”
deliver by singing
From this reading “Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “But somehow she got it out of me.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But somehow she got it out of me.
-ing form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
accept an excuse for
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
marked by excessive enthusiasm for and intense devotion to a cause or idea
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading But somehow she got it out of me.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But somehow she got it out of me.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
immediately past
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But somehow she got it out of me.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But somehow she got it out of me.
participate in games or sport
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "One need not be fanatical in order to be religious," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But somehow she got it out of me.
deliver by singing
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading But somehow she got it out of me.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mother asked me last evening to sing and play to her.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading VII.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I was embarrassed to know how to excuse myself without telling her my real reason for declining.
Chapter 7 of Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss holds 204 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 204 sentences of Stepping Heavenward, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 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 Stepping Heavenward by E. (Elizabeth) Prentiss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5701 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2515 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2515, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 475 minutes of reading across 1141 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stepping Heavenward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Stepping Heavenward 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 Stepping Heavenward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
