Chapter 7 of The House by the Medlar-Tree is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The House by the Medlar-Tree is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I can’t open the door. They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.” “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter. It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important. I don’t want your brother to go to the galleys.
Chapter 7 of The House by the Medlar-Tree is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.””
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.””
plural of “galley” — a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading
From this reading “I don’t want your brother to go to the galleys.”
of great significance or value
From this reading “It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.”
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.””
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.””
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.”
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.
In this reading “It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.”
In this reading ““I can’t open the door.”
In this reading “They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.””
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can’t open the door.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t want your brother to go to the galleys.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “I can’t open the door.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
plural of “galley” — a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading
From this reading I don’t want your brother to go to the galleys.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I don’t want your brother to go to the galleys.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I can’t open the door.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter.
of great significance or value
From this reading It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
not any; not one
From this reading “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading “I can’t open the door.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
express in speech
From this reading It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I can’t open the door.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I don’t want your brother to go to the galleys.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
which person or people
From this reading They are all in bed but my sister, who is watching for my brother ’Ntoni.”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading It is precisely of ’Ntoni I wish to speak, and it is most important.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “If your sister does hear you open the door it is no matter.
Chapter 7 of The House by the Medlar-Tree by Giovanni Verga holds 450 sentences, grouped into 90 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 450 sentences of The House by the Medlar-Tree, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The House by the Medlar-Tree by Giovanni Verga exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 450 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 House by the Medlar-Tree by Giovanni Verga on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3128 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54684 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54684, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House by the Medlar-Tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The House by the Medlar-Tree 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 House by the Medlar-Tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
