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The Castle Of The Shadows
The Castle Of The Shadows

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Castle Of The Shadows is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Castle Of The Shadows
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.
Lady Gardiner, on the contrary, was greatly interested.
Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.
She wanted to go everywhere; she wanted to see everything.
She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."
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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.

The Castle Of The Shadows

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Castle Of The Shadows is here in full — 195 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.
Line 2
Lady Gardiner, on the contrary, was greatly interested.
/ˈleɪdi ˈɡɑːrdnər ɑːn ðə ˈkɑːntreri wɑːz ˈɡreɪtli ˈɪntrəstɪd/
Line 3
Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.
/ˈnevər hæd ʃiː bɪn mɔːr əˈlɜːrt ˈnevər hæd hɜːr blæk aɪz bɪn soʊ kiːn/
Line 4
She wanted to go everywhere; she wanted to see everything.
/ʃiː ˈwɔːntɪd tuː ɡoʊ ˈevriwer ʃiː ˈwɔːntɪd tuː siː ˈevriθɪŋ/
Line 5
She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

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.

alert adjective US /əˈlɜːrt/

engaged in or accustomed to close observation

From this reading “Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
convicts noun US /ˈkɑːnvɪkts/

plural of “convict” — a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison

From this reading “THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gardiner noun US /ˈɡɑːrdnər/

British historian remembered for his ten-volume history of England (1829-1902)

From this reading “Lady Gardiner, on the contrary, was greatly interested.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gates noun US /ɡeɪts/

United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)

From this reading “THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
headache noun US /ˈhedeɪk/

something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

From this reading “THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
landing noun US /ˈlændɪŋ/

an intermediate platform in a staircase

From this reading “THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prisoners noun US /ˈprɪzənərz/

plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading “She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
severe adjective US /səˈvɪr/

intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

From this reading “THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 54

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 THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alertadjectiveUS /əˈlɜːrt/

engaged in or accustomed to close observation

From this reading Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
announcedadjectiveUS /əˈnaʊnst/

declared publicly; made widely known

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
besidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
charmingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ/

pleasing or delighting

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contraryadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːntreri/

very opposed in nature or character or purpose

From this reading Lady Gardiner, on the contrary, was greatly interested.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
convictsnounUS /ˈkɑːnvɪkts/

plural of “convict” — a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CountessnounUS /ˈkaʊntəs/

female equivalent of a count or earl

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading She wanted to go everywhere; she wanted to see everything.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
everywhereadverbUS /ˈevriwer/

to or in any or all places

From this reading She wanted to go everywhere; she wanted to see everything.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
GardinernounUS /ˈɡɑːrdnər/

British historian remembered for his ten-volume history of England (1829-1902)

From this reading Lady Gardiner, on the contrary, was greatly interested.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GATESnounUS /ɡeɪts/

United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading She wanted to go everywhere; she wanted to see everything.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greatlyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading Lady Gardiner, on the contrary, was greatly interested.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
headachenounUS /ˈhedeɪk/

something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
interestedadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪd/

having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
keenadjectiveUS /kiːn/

having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

From this reading Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading Lady Gardiner, on the contrary, was greatly interested.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
landingnounUS /ˈlændɪŋ/

an intermediate platform in a staircase

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Mattos

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Pending verification
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NeveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Never had she been more alert; never had her black eyes been so keen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Noumea

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

Pending verification
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Lady Gardiner, on the contrary, was greatly interested.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OPENverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora curated lexicon
placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
preventverbUS /prɪˈvent/

keep from happening or arising; make impossible

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prisonersnounUS /ˈprɪzənərz/

plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading She wanted to go everywhere; she wanted to see everything.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
severeadjectiveUS /səˈvɪr/

intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
sympathynounUS /ˈsɪmpəθi/

an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading She thought Noumea a charming place; she had "really _no_ sympathy for the prisoners."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She wanted to go everywhere; she wanted to see everything.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wantedadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːntɪd/

desired or wished for or sought

From this reading She wanted to go everywhere; she wanted to see everything.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading THE GATES OPEN The Countess de Mattos had a headache which was so severe, she announced, that it would prevent her from landing; besides, she was not interested in convicts.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 7 of The Castle Of The Shadows by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson holds 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 The Castle Of The Shadows contain?

Chapter 7 holds 195 sentences of The Castle Of The Shadows, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Castle Of The Shadows by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 195 sentences, grouped into 39 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 The Castle Of The Shadows?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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 The Castle Of The Shadows

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Which edition of The Castle Of The Shadows is used?

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

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Vocabulary met early in The Castle Of The Shadows

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Castle Of The Shadows, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Castle Of The Shadows, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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