Chapter 7 of The Damned is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Damned is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed. She had switched on the light as she came in. Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown. Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard. The eyes were very wide.
Chapter 7 of The Damned is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
having the physical appearance of death
From this reading “Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.”
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading “Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.”
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading “Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.”
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.”
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading “Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.”
past form of “switch” — change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “She had switched on the light as she came in.”
the sound of light blow or knock
From this reading “That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.”
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 That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
react verbally
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
next to; at the side of
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
having the physical appearance of death
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The eyes were very wide.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
above and across; more than
From this reading Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Her face was deathly pale, its expression so distraught it was almost haggard.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly
From this reading Her hair fell straggling over her dressing gown.
past form of “switch” — change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
the sound of light blow or knock
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had switched on the light as she came in.
precisely as stated
From this reading The eyes were very wide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That night I was wakened by a hurried tapping at my door, and before I could answer, Frances stood beside my bed.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The eyes were very wide.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The eyes were very wide.
Chapter 7 of The Damned by Algernon Blackwood holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 268 sentences of The Damned, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Damned by Algernon Blackwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Damned by Algernon Blackwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Damned section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Damned 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 Damned, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
