Chapter 7 of The Last Hope is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Last Hope is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier. It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since. Which was untrue. Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth. Septimus Marvin had, so to speak, been the same man since infancy.
Chapter 7 of The Last Hope is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
under normal conditions
From this reading “It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.”
earlier in time; previously
From this reading “The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.”
the early stage of growth or development
From this reading “Septimus Marvin had, so to speak, been the same man since infancy.”
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading “Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.”
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading “The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.”
a fact that has been verified
From this reading “Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.”
not according with the facts
From this reading “Which was untrue.”
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 with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
under normal conditions
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
set up or found
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
the early stage of growth or development
From this reading Septimus Marvin had, so to speak, been the same man since infancy.
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
Identical; not different.
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Septimus Marvin had, so to speak, been the same man since infancy.
express in speech
From this reading Septimus Marvin had, so to speak, been the same man since infancy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
not according with the facts
From this reading Which was untrue.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was commonly said that he had never been the same man since.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Which was untrue.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Much that is commonly said will, on investigation, be found to be far from the truth.
a late time of life
From this reading The Reverend Septimus Marvin had lost his wife five years earlier.
Chapter 7 of The Last Hope by Henry Seton Merriman holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 165 sentences of The Last Hope, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Last Hope by Henry Seton Merriman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Last Hope by Henry Seton Merriman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5702 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8493 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8493, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 475 minutes of reading across 1141 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Last Hope section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Last Hope 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 Last Hope, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
