Chapter 7 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile. "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress." "Is your mistress Mrs. MacDerry?" "Aye," she nodded. "It’s herself."
Chapter 7 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading “"It’s herself."”
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading “"Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."”
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading “"Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “"Aye," she nodded.”
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “"I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.”
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “"I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.”
-ing form of “suppress” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading “"I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “"I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.”
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.
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 "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aye," she nodded.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "It’s herself."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is your mistress Mrs. MacDerry?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s herself."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is your mistress Mrs. MacDerry?"
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Is your mistress Mrs. MacDerry?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading "Aye," she nodded.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Aye," she nodded.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
-ing form of “suppress” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I have been told so," I remarked, suppressing a smile.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then come inside and see what you can do for my mistress."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Is your mistress Mrs. MacDerry?"
Chapter 7 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 974 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories 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 Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
