Chapter 7 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!" Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling. "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived. We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it." "Of course not!
Chapter 7 of The Quality of Mercy is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.”
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading “Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.”
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading “Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.”
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “"We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.”
being nothing more than specified
From this reading “Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.”
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading “We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “"We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.”
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.
as might be expected
In this reading “"Of course not!”
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 "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
any thing at all
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course not!
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
carry out
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Suzette put by the feeble expression of mere good feeling.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We shall not let them take his property from us if we can help it."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "We don't believe papa has done anything wrong, or anything he wouldn't have made right if he had lived.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'm sure," Louise adventured, "he would do anything to help you!"
Chapter 7 of The Quality of Mercy by William Dean Howells holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of The Quality of Mercy, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Quality of Mercy by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Quality of Mercy by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6684 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30108 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30108, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 557 minutes of reading across 1337 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Quality of Mercy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Quality of Mercy 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 Quality of Mercy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
