Chapter 7 of The Child of the Moat is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Child of the Moat is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room. He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him. He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children. They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection. What a wonderful pair they were.
Chapter 7 of The Child of the Moat is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
From this reading “BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.”
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading “They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.”
brought together in one place
From this reading “They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.”
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading “What a wonderful pair they were.”
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading “He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.”
plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading “He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.”
the act of creating written works
From this reading “He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
take and lift upward
In this reading “He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.”
In this reading “He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.”
In this reading “He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.”
In this reading “He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.”
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 He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
Having no one else present.
From this reading BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
From this reading BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
several things grouped together or considered as a whole
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
brought together in one place
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
not any; not one
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
many times at short intervals
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading What a wonderful pair they were.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.
be seated
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
plural of “sketch” — preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BITTERNESS Ian was alone in the secret room.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What a wonderful pair they were.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What a wonderful pair they were.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading What a wonderful pair they were.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They would often come down and sit for him and he had gathered quite a collection.
produce a literary work
From this reading He was tired and felt he could write no more, so he picked up some sketches he had made of the children.
the act of creating written works
From this reading He had been busy writing and a great pile of papers lay before him.
Chapter 7 of The Child of the Moat by I. B. (Ian Bernard) Stoughton Holborn holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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.
Chapter 7 holds 122 sentences of The Child of the Moat, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Child of the Moat by I. B. (Ian Bernard) Stoughton Holborn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Child of the Moat by I. B. (Ian Bernard) Stoughton Holborn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6110 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53281 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53281, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 509 minutes of reading across 1222 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Child of the Moat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Child of the Moat 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 Child of the Moat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
