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The Old Maids' Club
The Old Maids' Club

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 552 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Israel Zangwill • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Old Maids' Club
Context Illustration Reading 1/110 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE IDYL OF TREPOLPEN.
"No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.
"That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.
According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."
"Like everything connected with the _Moon_-man's bride.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Old Maids' Club

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Old Maids' Club is here in full — 552 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/110 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE IDYL OF TREPOLPEN.
Line 2
"No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.
Line 3
"That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.
Line 4
According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."
/əˈkɔːrdɪŋ tuː ðə ruːlz ðə ˈkændədeɪt mʌst hæv hərˈself dɪˈskɑːrdɪd æn ˌædvənˈteɪdʒəs ˈmerɪdʒ ənd ðæt mɪs daɪˈænə wɪl ɡɪv ʌp ˈmɪstər ˈwɪlkɪnz ɪz ekˈstriːmli ˈkwestʃənəbəl/
Line 5
"Like everything connected with the _Moon_-man's bride.

Learner Dictionary

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.

advantageous adjective US /ˌædvənˈteɪdʒəs/

giving an advantage

From this reading “According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
breaks noun US /breɪks/

plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

From this reading “"That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
candidate noun US /ˈkændədeɪt/

a politician who is running for public office

From this reading “According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Diana noun US /daɪˈænə/

English aristocrat who was the first wife of Prince Charles; her death in an automobile accident in Paris produced intense national mourning (1961-1997)

From this reading “"No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
discarded adjective US /dɪˈskɑːrdɪd/

thrown away

From this reading “According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
questionable adjective US /ˈkwestʃənəbəl/

subject to question

From this reading “According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rules noun US /ruːlz/

plural of “rule” — a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

From this reading “According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Wilkins noun US /ˈwɪlkɪnz/

United States civil rights leader (1901-1981)

From this reading “According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

breaks off verb + particle counted as “break off”

interrupt before its natural or planned end

In this reading “"That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.”

2,977 times in 426,211 chapters
give up verb + adjective

lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime

In this reading “According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."”

42,234 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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.

AccordingadjectiveUS /əˈkɔːrdɪŋ/

(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
advantageousadjectiveUS /ˌædvənˈteɪdʒəs/

giving an advantage

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
breaksnounUS /breɪks/

plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bridenounUS /braɪd/

a woman who has recently been married

From this reading "Like everything connected with the _Moon_-man's bride.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
can't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

Pending verification
candidatenounUS /ˈkændədeɪt/

a politician who is running for public office

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
connectedadjectiveUS /kəˈnektɪd/

being joined in close association

From this reading "Like everything connected with the _Moon_-man's bride.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DiananounUS /daɪˈænə/

English aristocrat who was the first wife of Prince Charles; her death in an automobile accident in Paris produced intense national mourning (1961-1997)

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
discardedadjectiveUS /dɪˈskɑːrdɪd/

thrown away

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
engagementnounUS /enˈɡeɪdʒmənt/

a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading "Like everything connected with the _Moon_-man's bride.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
extremelyadverbUS /ekˈstriːmli/

to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IDYLnoun

a musical composition that evokes rural life

From this reading THE IDYL OF TREPOLPEN.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
LikeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading "Like everything connected with the _Moon_-man's bride.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
man'snounUS /mænz/

possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading "Like everything connected with the _Moon_-man's bride.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
marriagenounUS /ˈmerɪdʒ/

the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MoonnounUS /muːn/

the natural satellite of the Earth

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE IDYL OF TREPOLPEN.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PresidentnounUS /ˈprezədent/

an executive officer of a firm or corporation

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
questionableadjectiveUS /ˈkwestʃənəbəl/

subject to question

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reportedadjectiveUS /ˌriːˈpɔːrtɪd/

made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rulesnounUS /ruːlz/

plural of “rule” — a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Silverdale

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

Pending verification
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "That is, not if the _Moon_-man breaks off the engagement.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE IDYL OF TREPOLPEN.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TREPOLPEN

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE IDYL OF TREPOLPEN.

Pending verification
upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "No, we can't have Diana," the President said, when Lord Silverdale reported the matter.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WilkinsnounUS /ˈwɪlkɪnz/

United States civil rights leader (1901-1981)

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading According to the rules, the candidate must have herself discarded an advantageous marriage, and that Miss Diana will give up Mr. Wilkins is extremely questionable."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Like everything connected with the _Moon_-man's bride.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 7 of The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill holds 552 sentences, grouped into 111 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.

What does chapter 7 of The Old Maids' Club contain?

Chapter 7 holds 552 sentences of The Old Maids' Club, unabridged, divided into 111 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 552 sentences, grouped into 111 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of The Old Maids' Club?

Work through the 111 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 111 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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Old Maids' Club

Common questions about reading The Old Maids' Club by Israel Zangwill on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Old Maids' Club?

Yes. All 6063 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Old Maids' Club is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #45623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Old Maids' Club take to read?

About 505 minutes of reading across 1213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Old Maids' Club section by section

How to work through The Old Maids' Club section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Old Maids' Club

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Old Maids' Club, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Google
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Maids' Club; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Books
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Maids' Club; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Zcgsaaaamaaj
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Maids' Club; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Small
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Maids' Club; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.