Chapter 7 of The Colonel's Dream is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Colonel's Dream is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
No question he could put brought a different answer. Dudley was puzzled. The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free. Surely there was some mystery. "You saw my uncle?" he asked thoughtfully.
Chapter 7 of The Colonel's Dream is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading “The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.”
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading “The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “Surely there was some mystery.”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “Dudley was puzzled.”
submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
From this reading “The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Surely there was some mystery.”
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading “"You saw my uncle?" he asked thoughtfully.”
moral weakness
From this reading “The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.”
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 No question he could put brought a different answer.
react verbally
From this reading No question he could put brought a different answer.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "You saw my uncle?" he asked thoughtfully.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading No question he could put brought a different answer.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading No question he could put brought a different answer.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading No question he could put brought a different answer.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dudley was puzzled.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading No question he could put brought a different answer.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You saw my uncle?" he asked thoughtfully.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading Surely there was some mystery.
not any; not one
From this reading No question he could put brought a different answer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading No question he could put brought a different answer.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading Dudley was puzzled.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading No question he could put brought a different answer.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
cut with a saw
From this reading "You saw my uncle?" he asked thoughtfully.
submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Surely there was some mystery.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Surely there was some mystery.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Surely there was some mystery.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading "You saw my uncle?" he asked thoughtfully.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "You saw my uncle?" he asked thoughtfully.
moral weakness
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dudley was puzzled.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The woman was in her right mind; she was no liar--of this servile vice at least she was free.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You saw my uncle?" he asked thoughtfully.
Chapter 7 of The Colonel's Dream by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of The Colonel's Dream, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Colonel's Dream by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Colonel's Dream by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4261 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19746 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19746, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 355 minutes of reading across 853 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Colonel's Dream section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Colonel's Dream 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 Colonel's Dream, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
