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The Purchase of the North Pole
The Purchase of the North Pole

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Purchase of the North Pole is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BARBICANE MAKES A SPEECH.
On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.
And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.
Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.
It was quite an artillery museum.
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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 Purchase of the North Pole

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Purchase of the North Pole is here in full — 155 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BARBICANE MAKES A SPEECH.
Line 2
On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.
Line 3
And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.
/ənd ðə skwer ˌɪtˈself wɑːz ˈhɑːrdli lɑːrdʒ ɪˈnʌf tuː hoʊld ðə kraʊd/
Line 4
Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.
/ˈjuːʒəwəli ðə lɑːrdʒ hɔːl ʌv ðə klʌb wɑːz ˈdekəreɪtɪd wɪð ˈwepənz ʌv ɔːl sɔːrts əˈproʊpriət tuː ðə ˈnoʊbəl prəˈfeʃən ʌv ɪts ˈmembərz/
Line 5
It was quite an artillery museum.
/ɪt wɑːz kwaɪt æn ɑːrˈtɪləri mjuːˈziːəm/

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.

appropriate verb US /əˈproʊpriət/

give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

From this reading “Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.”

artillery noun US /ɑːrˈtɪləri/

large but transportable armament

From this reading “It was quite an artillery museum.”

Association noun US /əˌsoʊsiˈeɪʃən/

a formal organization of people or groups of people

From this reading “On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.”

December noun US /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading “On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.”

decorated adjective US /ˈdekəreɪtɪd/

provided with something intended to increase its beauty or distinction

From this reading “Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.”

museum noun US /mjuːˈziːəm/

a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value

From this reading “It was quite an artillery museum.”

Polar adjective US /ˈpoʊlər/

having a pair of equal and opposite charges

From this reading “On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.”

shareholders noun US /ˈʃerhoʊldərz/

plural of “shareholder” — someone who holds shares of stock in a corporation

From this reading “On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.”

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.

noble profession adjective + noun

In this reading “Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.”

large enough adjective + noun

In this reading “And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.”

take place verb + noun

come to pass

In this reading “On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.”

all sorts adjective + noun counted as “all sort”

In this reading “Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.”

large hall adjective + noun

In this reading “Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

22nd

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

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading BARBICANE MAKES A SPEECH.

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 Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading It was quite an artillery museum.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.

appropriateverbUS /əˈproʊpriət/

give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

artillerynounUS /ɑːrˈtɪləri/

large but transportable armament

From this reading It was quite an artillery museum.

AssociationnounUS /əˌsoʊsiˈeɪʃən/

a formal organization of people or groups of people

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

BARBICANE

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

From this reading BARBICANE MAKES A SPEECH.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

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

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

ClubnounUS /klʌb/

a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

crowdverbUS /kraʊd/

cause to herd, drive, or crowd together

From this reading And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.

DecembernounUS /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

decoratedadjectiveUS /ˈdekəreɪtɪd/

provided with something intended to increase its beauty or distinction

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.

generaladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

GunnounUS /ɡʌn/

a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

hallnounUS /hɔːl/

an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.

holdverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was quite an artillery museum.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.

largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading And the square itself was hardly large enough to hold the crowd.

MAKESnounUS /meɪks/

plural of “make” — a recognizable kind

From this reading BARBICANE MAKES A SPEECH.

meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

membersnounUS /ˈmembərz/

plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

museumnounUS /mjuːˈziːəm/

a depository for collecting and displaying objects having scientific or historical or artistic value

From this reading It was quite an artillery museum.

nobleadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊbəl/

impressive in appearance

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

NorthnounUS /nɔːrθ/

the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

PolaradjectiveUS /ˈpoʊlər/

having a pair of equal and opposite charges

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

PracticaladjectiveUS /ˈpræktəkəl/

concerned with actual use or practice

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

professionnounUS /prəˈfeʃən/

the body of people in a learned occupation

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading It was quite an artillery museum.

roomsnounUS /ruːmz/

apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

shareholdersnounUS /ˈʃerhoʊldərz/

plural of “shareholder” — someone who holds shares of stock in a corporation

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

sortsnounUS /sɔːrts/

plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

SPEECHnounUS /spiːtʃ/

the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience

From this reading BARBICANE MAKES A SPEECH.

SquareverbUS /skwer/

make square

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

UnionnounUS /ˈjuːnjən/

an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

UsuallyadverbUS /ˈjuːʒəwəli/

under normal conditions

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading On the 22nd of December a general meeting was called of the shareholders of the North Polar Practical Association, to take place at the rooms of the Gun Club in Union Square.

weaponsnounUS /ˈwepənz/

plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Usually the large hall of the club was decorated with weapons of all sorts appropriate to the noble profession of its members.

Chapter 7 of The Purchase of the North Pole by Jules Verne holds 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 Purchase of the North Pole contain?

Chapter 7 holds 155 sentences of The Purchase of the North Pole, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Purchase of the North Pole by Jules Verne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 155 sentences, grouped into 31 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 Purchase of the North Pole?

Work through the 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 31 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 Purchase of the North Pole

Common questions about reading The Purchase of the North Pole by Jules Verne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Purchase of the North Pole?

Yes. All 1947 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60242 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Purchase of the North Pole is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #60242, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Purchase of the North Pole take to read?

About 162 minutes of reading across 390 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Purchase of the North Pole section by section

How to work through The Purchase of the North Pole section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Purchase of the North Pole to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Purchase of the North Pole

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Purchase of the North Pole, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Purchase of the North Pole; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Twenty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Purchase of the North Pole; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thousand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Purchase of the North Pole; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Leagues
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Purchase of the North Pole; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.