Chapter 7 of The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories is here in full — 415 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 Empty House and Other Ghost Stories is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm Mr. Sidebotham's private secretary. I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business." "Are you expected?" "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening. "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
Chapter 7 of The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading “"I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.”
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading “"I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.”
of great significance or value
From this reading “I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."”
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “"I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.”
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading “"I'm Mr. Sidebotham's private secretary.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “"I'm Mr. Sidebotham's private secretary.”
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading “"I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.”
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading “"Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."”
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 "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you expected?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading "Are you expected?"
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm Mr. Sidebotham's private secretary.
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
of great significance or value
From this reading I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I'm Mr. Sidebotham's private secretary.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."
on one occasion
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading "I'm Mr. Sidebotham's private secretary.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
express in words
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading "I'm Mr. Sidebotham's private secretary.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm Mr. Sidebotham's private secretary.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
carry out
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading "I suppose so," he said impatiently, thrusting a card through the opening.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish to see Mr. Garvey on important business."
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading "Please take my name to him at once, and say I come from Mr. Sidebotham on the matter Mr. Garvey wrote about."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you expected?"
Chapter 7 of The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories by Algernon Blackwood holds 415 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 415 sentences of The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories by Algernon Blackwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 Empty House and Other Ghost Stories by Algernon Blackwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3297 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14471 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14471, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 274 minutes of reading across 660 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories 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 Empty House and Other Ghost Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
