Chapter 7 of The Lion and the Unicorn is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Lion and the Unicorn is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The young man clasped his hands eagerly. “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour! I could tell you so much that you could use. And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough. I can give you names and dates for everything I say.
Chapter 7 of The Lion and the Unicorn is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “The young man clasped his hands eagerly.”
plural of “date” — the specified day of the month
From this reading “I can give you names and dates for everything I say.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “The young man clasped his hands eagerly.”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading “And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.”
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading “I can give you names and dates for everything I say.”
absolutely essential
From this reading “And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.”
United States suffragist and feminist; called for reform of the practices that perpetuated sexual inequality (1815-1902)
From this reading ““Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!”
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 “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading The young man clasped his hands eagerly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could tell you so much that you could use.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
plural of “date” — the specified day of the month
From this reading I can give you names and dates for everything I say.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading The young man clasped his hands eagerly.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading I can give you names and dates for everything I say.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I can give you names and dates for everything I say.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The young man clasped his hands eagerly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The young man clasped his hands eagerly.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I could tell you so much that you could use.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man clasped his hands eagerly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I could tell you so much that you could use.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading I can give you names and dates for everything I say.
absolutely essential
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
and nothing more
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
express in words
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
term of address for a man
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I could tell you so much that you could use.
United States suffragist and feminist; called for reform of the practices that perpetuated sexual inequality (1815-1902)
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
express in words
From this reading I could tell you so much that you could use.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I could tell you so much that you could use.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young man clasped his hands eagerly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
the act of using
From this reading I could tell you so much that you could use.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And you can believe what I say, sir--it is not necessary to lie--God knows the truth is bad enough.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Ah, Mr. Stanton, if you would,” he cried, “if you would only give me an hour!
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man clasped his hands eagerly.
Chapter 7 of The Lion and the Unicorn by Richard Harding Davis holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 192 sentences of The Lion and the Unicorn, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Lion and the Unicorn by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Lion and the Unicorn by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2040 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1620 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1620, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 170 minutes of reading across 408 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lion and the Unicorn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Lion and the Unicorn 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 Lion and the Unicorn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
