Chapter 7 of The Bat is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Bat is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Don’t tell Lizzie,” she said. “She’d yell like a siren. It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!” For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded. The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
Chapter 7 of The Bat is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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 sterilization of an animal
From this reading “The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.”
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading “The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.”
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading “The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.”
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading “The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.”
a sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived
From this reading ““She’d yell like a siren.”
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.”
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading “It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!””
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading ““She’d yell like a siren.”
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 “She’d yell like a siren.
anew
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
the sterilization of an animal
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t tell Lizzie,” she said.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “She’d yell like a siren.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t tell Lizzie,” she said.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
and nothing more
From this reading It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Don’t tell Lizzie,” she said.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Don’t tell Lizzie,” she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She’d yell like a siren.
a sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived
From this reading “She’d yell like a siren.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading For a moment it seemed as if Miss Cornelia had succeeded.
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!”
express in words
From this reading “Don’t tell Lizzie,” she said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!”
a special situation
From this reading It’s the only thing she does like a siren, but she does it superbly!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Doctor smiled; Dale sat down again, her expression altering from one of anxiety to one of amusement.
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading “She’d yell like a siren.
Chapter 7 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 218 sentences of The Bat, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4997 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2019 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2019, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 416 minutes of reading across 1000 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Bat 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 The Bat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
