Chapter 7 of The Claw is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Claw is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?" I was driven to saying. She glared at me with the utmost fury. "You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself. You are done for forever in Mashonaland."
Chapter 7 of The Claw is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading “I was driven to saying.”
for a limitless time
From this reading “You are done for forever in Mashonaland."”
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading “She glared at me with the utmost fury.”
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading “She glared at me with the utmost fury.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “"You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.”
lead someone in the wrong direction or give someone wrong directions
From this reading “"You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.”
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading “"You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"”
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading “She glared at me with the utmost fury.”
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.
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are done for forever in Mashonaland."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She glared at me with the utmost fury.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading I was driven to saying.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading You are done for forever in Mashonaland."
for a limitless time
From this reading You are done for forever in Mashonaland."
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading She glared at me with the utmost fury.
past form of “glare” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading She glared at me with the utmost fury.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You are done for forever in Mashonaland."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading "You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You are done for forever in Mashonaland."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She glared at me with the utmost fury.
lead someone in the wrong direction or give someone wrong directions
From this reading "You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
admitting of being pardoned
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading I was driven to saying.
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She glared at me with the utmost fury.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She glared at me with the utmost fury.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was driven to saying.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading She glared at me with the utmost fury.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was driven to saying.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She glared at me with the utmost fury.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You think it would have been more pardonable if I had done it secretly?"
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "You can't jest it away, so don't mislead yourself.
Chapter 7 of The Claw by Cynthia Stockley holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of The Claw, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Claw by Cynthia Stockley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Claw by Cynthia Stockley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5799 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37257 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37257, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 483 minutes of reading across 1160 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Claw section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Claw 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 Claw, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
