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The Disturbing Charm
The Disturbing Charm

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Disturbing Charm is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Disturbing Charm
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....
It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!
It's Mister---- Bill, Billy Brown---- Of London!"
Fragson's Song.
The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.
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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 Disturbing Charm

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Disturbing Charm is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....
Line 2
It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!
Line 3
It's Mister---- Bill, Billy Brown---- Of London!"
Line 4
Fragson's Song.
Line 5
The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

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.

breeds noun US /briːdz/

plural of “breed” — a special variety of domesticated animals within a species

From this reading “THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....”

Camden noun US /ˈkæmdən/

a city in southwestern New Jersey on the Delaware River near Philadelphia

From this reading “It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!”

charm noun US /tʃɑːrm/

attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates

From this reading “THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....”

disappointment noun US /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/

a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized

From this reading “The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.”

Mister noun US /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading “It's Mister---- Bill, Billy Brown---- Of London!"”

needs adverb US /niːdz/

in such a manner as could not be otherwise

From this reading “THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....”

plotter noun US /ˈplɑːtər/

a planner who draws up a personal scheme of action

From this reading “The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.”

spreading noun US /ˈspredɪŋ/

process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space

From this reading “THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

following morning adjective + noun

In this reading “The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.”

All words in this reading · 53

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 following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

BillnounUS /bɪl/

a statute in draft before it becomes law

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

BillynounUS /ˈbɪli/

a short stout club used primarily by policemen

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

breedsnounUS /briːdz/

plural of “breed” — a special variety of domesticated animals within a species

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

BrownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

CamdennounUS /ˈkæmdən/

a city in southwestern New Jersey on the Delaware River near Philadelphia

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

CHARMnounUS /tʃɑːrm/

attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

commonwealnoun

the good of a community

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

disappointmentnounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/

a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

EnglandnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlənd/

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

fightingnounUS /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/

the act of fighting; any contest or struggle

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

Fragson's

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

From this reading Fragson's Song.

GunnounUS /ɡʌn/

a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

Howel-Jones

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

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

It's

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

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading It's Mister---- Bill, Billy Brown---- Of London!"

MannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

MisternounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading It's Mister---- Bill, Billy Brown---- Of London!"

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

needsadverbUS /niːdz/

in such a manner as could not be otherwise

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

Olwen

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

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

Piccadilly

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

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

plotternounUS /ˈplɑːtər/

a planner who draws up a personal scheme of action

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

Putney

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

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

SongnounUS /sɔːŋ/

a short musical composition with words

From this reading Fragson's Song.

sonsnounUS /sʌnz/

plural of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

SPREADINGnounUS /ˈspredɪŋ/

process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The following morning brought a small disappointment to that little plotter for the commonweal, Olwen Howel-Jones.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

there's

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

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

TownnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading It's Bill, Bill, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy, Billy Brown, Of Putney, Piccadilly, Camden Town; Why!

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading THE SPREADING OF THE CHARM "When England needs The sons she breeds, And there's fighting to be done, No matter where, You will find him _there_, The Man behind the Gun....

Chapter 7 of The Disturbing Charm by Berta Ruck holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 Disturbing Charm contain?

Chapter 7 holds 183 sentences of The Disturbing Charm, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Disturbing Charm by Berta Ruck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 Disturbing Charm?

Work through the 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 37 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 Disturbing Charm

Common questions about reading The Disturbing Charm by Berta Ruck on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Disturbing Charm?

Yes. All 5925 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36442 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Disturbing Charm is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #36442, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Disturbing Charm take to read?

About 493 minutes of reading across 1185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Disturbing Charm section by section

How to work through The Disturbing Charm section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Disturbing Charm to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Disturbing Charm

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Disturbing Charm, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Bewitched
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Disturbing Charm; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rogue's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Disturbing Charm; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Company
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Disturbing Charm; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Rascal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Disturbing Charm; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.