Chapter 7 of The Kempton-Wace Letters is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Kempton-Wace Letters is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA. September 18, 19--. How abominable I must seem to you, Dane! For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions. I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
Chapter 7 of The Kempton-Wace Letters is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
unequivocally detestable
From this reading “How abominable I must seem to you, Dane!”
Irish philosopher and Anglican bishop who opposed the materialism of Thomas Hobbes (1685-1753)
From this reading “XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.”
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading “XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.”
a native or inhabitant of Denmark
From this reading “XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.”
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading “XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.”
plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading “For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.”
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.”
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading “I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.”
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 “I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.”
In this reading “For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading September 18, 19--.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading September 18, 19--.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
unequivocally detestable
From this reading How abominable I must seem to you, Dane!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
Irish philosopher and Anglican bishop who opposed the materialism of Thomas Hobbes (1685-1753)
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
a native or inhabitant of Denmark
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
divisible by two
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How abominable I must seem to you, Dane!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading How abominable I must seem to you, Dane!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
plural of “lay” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading How abominable I must seem to you, Dane!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading How abominable I must seem to you, Dane!
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading September 18, 19--.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For certainly a creature is abominable that lays rough hands on one's dearest possessions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
in the direction of
From this reading I doubt if even you realise how deeply you are stirred by my conduct towards love.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading XXX FROM HERBERT WACE TO DANE KEMPTON THE RIDGE, BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How abominable I must seem to you, Dane!
Chapter 7 of The Kempton-Wace Letters by Jack London holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Kempton-Wace Letters, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Kempton-Wace Letters by Jack London exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Kempton-Wace Letters by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2869 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31422 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31422, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 239 minutes of reading across 574 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Kempton-Wace Letters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Kempton-Wace Letters 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 Kempton-Wace Letters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
