Chapter 7 of The House of Torchy is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 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 of Torchy is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke. It seems not. You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills. I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by. That was a poor hunch.
Chapter 7 of The House of Torchy is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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 young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals
From this reading “BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.”
to certain extent or degree
From this reading “BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.”
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading “You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.”
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.”
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading “That was a poor hunch.”
relating to human society and its members
From this reading “I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.”
bearing or marked with a label or tag
From this reading “I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.”
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 You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
a young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
a farewell remark
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading That was a poor hunch.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seems not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
used to form the superlative
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It seems not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading That was a poor hunch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seems not.
relating to human society and its members
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
be standing; be upright
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
bearing or marked with a label or tag
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
at the time that
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading I had a wild idea, too, that when we moved into the country we'd tagged the reg'lar social stuff good-by.
in the company of; together with
From this reading BACK WITH CLARA BELLE And me kiddin' myself I was fairly well parlor-broke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You'd 'most think, though, I'd had enough front-room trainin' to stand me through in a place like Harbor Hills.
Chapter 7 of The House of Torchy by Sewell Ford holds 272 sentences, grouped into 55 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 272 sentences of The House of Torchy, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The House of Torchy by Sewell Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 272 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 of Torchy by Sewell Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5426 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21882 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21882, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 452 minutes of reading across 1086 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House of Torchy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The House of Torchy 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 of Torchy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
