Chapter 7 of The Old Room is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Old Room is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low. It was quiet in the room and quiet outside. Cordt sat in his chair. He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps. She was at home, had been at home the whole week.
Chapter 7 of The Old Room is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
placed in a grave
From this reading “He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.”
ruined by overcooking
From this reading “The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.”
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.”
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.”
past form of “ponder” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading “He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.”
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.
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “She was at home, had been at home the whole week.”
In this reading “She was at home, had been at home the whole week.”
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 He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She was at home, had been at home the whole week.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
placed in a grave
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
ruined by overcooking
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Cordt sat in his chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cordt sat in his chair.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Cordt sat in his chair.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading She was at home, had been at home the whole week.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was quiet in the room and quiet outside.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
and nothing more
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading It was quiet in the room and quiet outside.
past form of “ponder” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading It was quiet in the room and quiet outside.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was quiet in the room and quiet outside.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Cordt sat in his chair.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was at home, had been at home the whole week.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fire in the hearth was nearly out and the candles had burnt quite low.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading She was at home, had been at home the whole week.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading She was at home, had been at home the whole week.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had been sitting there long and had not stirred, only pondered, with his fingers buried in his hair, and listened for Fru Adelheid’s footsteps.
Chapter 7 of The Old Room by Carl Ewald holds 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 63 sentences of The Old Room, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Old Room by Carl Ewald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Old Room by Carl Ewald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62883 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62883, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 274 minutes of reading across 658 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Room section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Old Room 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 Old Room, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
