Chapter 7 of The Northern Iron is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Northern Iron is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey. Rab MacClure’s horses served them well. By breakfast time they reached Ballymoney. They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them. She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
Chapter 7 of The Northern Iron is here in full — 338 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/67 · 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.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “By breakfast time they reached Ballymoney.”
cooked by radiant heat (as over a grill)
From this reading “They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.”
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading “She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.”
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading “They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.”
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading “They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.”
any of various large food and game fishes of northern waters; usually migrate from salt to fresh water to spawn
From this reading “They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.”
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “Rab MacClure’s horses served them well.”
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading “Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By breakfast time they reached Ballymoney.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading By breakfast time they reached Ballymoney.
cooked by radiant heat (as over a grill)
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By breakfast time they reached Ballymoney.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Rab MacClure’s horses served them well.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rab MacClure’s horses served them well.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rab MacClure’s horses served them well.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading By breakfast time they reached Ballymoney.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
any of various large food and game fishes of northern waters; usually migrate from salt to fresh water to spawn
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading Rab MacClure’s horses served them well.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Rab MacClure’s horses served them well.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By breakfast time they reached Ballymoney.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By breakfast time they reached Ballymoney.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
precisely as stated
From this reading She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
a person who is under the protection or in the custody of another
From this reading Early next morning Donald Ward and Neal set forth on their journey.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was full of excitement, and very ready to talk.
(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 Rab MacClure’s horses served them well.
during the time that
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading They sat in the inn kitchen while the woman of the house broiled salmon for them.
Chapter 7 of The Northern Iron by George A. Birmingham holds 338 sentences, grouped into 68 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 338 sentences of The Northern Iron, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Northern Iron by George A. Birmingham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 338 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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 Northern Iron by George A. Birmingham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6050 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24140 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24140, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 504 minutes of reading across 1210 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Northern Iron section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Northern Iron 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 Northern Iron, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
