The Pit-Prop Syndicate

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Pit-Prop Syndicate is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Freeman Wills Crofts • Curated US English Learning Edition

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“Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

“It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

We’d better go out there and prospect.”

Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter VII Reading 1/46

The Pit-Prop Syndicate Freeman Wills Crofts

Chapter VII

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Pit-Prop Syndicate is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE FERRIBY DEPOT The two friends, eager and excited by their adventure, were early astir next morning, and after breakfast Hilliard went out and bought the best map of the city and district he could find. “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments. “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station. We’d better go out there and prospect.” Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

The Pit-Prop Syndicate

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Pit-Prop Syndicate is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

“Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

Line 3

“It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

Line 4

We’d better go out there and prospect.”

Line 5

Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

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.

depot noun US /ˈdiːpoʊ/

station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods

From this reading “THE FERRIBY DEPOT The two friends, eager and excited by their adventure, were early astir next morning, and after breakfast Hilliard went out and bought the best map of the city and district he could find.”

district noun US /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

map verb US /mæp/

make a map of; show or establish the features of details of

Paragon noun US /ˈperəɡɑːn/

an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept

From this reading “Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.”

prospect noun US /ˈprɑːspekt/

the possibility of future success

From this reading “We’d better go out there and prospect.””

runs noun US /rʌnz/

plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely

From this reading ““It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.”

studied adjective US /ˈstʌdid/

produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation

From this reading ““Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.”

timetable noun US /ˈtaɪmteɪbəl/

a schedule listing events and the times at which they will take place

From this reading “Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.”

All words in this reading · 81

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.

10.35

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

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

adventureverbUS /ædˈventʃər/

take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome

From this reading THE FERRIBY DEPOT The two friends, eager and excited by their adventure, were early astir next morning, and after breakfast Hilliard went out and bought the best map of the city and district he could find.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

agreedadjectiveUS /əˈɡriːd/

united by being of the same opinion

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

astiradjective

out of bed

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading We’d better go out there and prospect.”

boardnounUS /bɔːrd/

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

boughtverbUS /bɑːt/

inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

citynounUS /ˈsɪti/

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

DEPOTnounUS /ˈdiːpoʊ/

station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods

districtnounUS /ˈdɪstrɪkt/

a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

eageradjectiveUS /ˈiːɡər/

having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy

earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

eightadjectiveUS /eɪt/

being one more than seven

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

excitedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsaɪtəd/

(of persons) excessively affected by emotion

exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

FERRIBY

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

Ferriby's

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

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading We’d better go out there and prospect.”

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

Hilliard

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

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

It's

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

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

mapverbUS /mæp/

make a map of; show or establish the features of details of

Merriman

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

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

milesnounUS /maɪlz/

plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

momentsnounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/

plural of “moment” — a particular point in time

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

North-Eastern

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

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

ParagonnounUS /ˈperəɡɑːn/

an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

prospectnounUS /ˈprɑːspekt/

the possibility of future success

From this reading We’d better go out there and prospect.”

rivernounUS /ˈrɪvər/

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

runsnounUS /rʌnz/

plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

sevennounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

stationnounUS /ˈsteɪʃən/

a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

studiedadjectiveUS /ˈstʌdid/

produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading We’d better go out there and prospect.”

there's

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

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

timetablenounUS /ˈtaɪmteɪbəl/

a schedule listing events and the times at which they will take place

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

trainverbUS /treɪn/

create by training and teaching

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading “It’s up the river—must be seven or eight miles up by the look of it; the North-Eastern runs through it and there’s a station.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Merriman agreed, they called for a timetable, found there was a train at 10.35, and going down to Paragon Station, got on board.

We'd

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

From this reading We’d better go out there and prospect.”

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading “Why, Ferriby’s not in the town at all,” he exclaimed after he had studied it for some moments.

Chapter 7 of The Pit-Prop Syndicate by Freeman Wills Crofts holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Pit-Prop Syndicate contain?

Chapter 7 holds 231 sentences of The Pit-Prop Syndicate, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Pit-Prop Syndicate by Freeman Wills Crofts exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 Pit-Prop Syndicate?

Work through the 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 47 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.

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Yes. All 5911 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2013 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #2013, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 492 minutes of reading across 1183 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Pit-Prop Syndicate

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Pit-Prop Syndicate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Seymour: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pit-Prop Syndicate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Merriman: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pit-Prop Syndicate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tired: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pit-Prop Syndicate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Jolting: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Pit-Prop Syndicate; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

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