The Queen of Hearts

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Queen of Hearts is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Wilkie Collins • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

She seemed to have a confused desire to keep me from leaving her after the door had closed behind us; but I broke away and ran downstairs to the surgery, to go and cry for my lost playmate with the sharer of all our games, Uncle George.

I opened the surgery door and could see nobody.

I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

Narrator

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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.

Chapter VII Reading 1/17

The Queen of Hearts Wilkie Collins

Chapter VII

Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Queen of Hearts is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair. I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room. She seemed to have a confused desire to keep me from leaving her after the door had closed behind us; but I broke away and ran downstairs to the surgery, to go and cry for my lost playmate with the sharer of all our games, Uncle George. I opened the surgery door and could see nobody. I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

The Queen of Hearts

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of The Queen of Hearts is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

Line 2

I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

Line 3

/ʃiː siːmd tuː hæv ə kənˈfjuːzd dɪˈzaɪər tuː kiːp miː frʌm ˈliːvɪŋ hɜːr ˈæftər ðə dɔːr hæd kloʊzd bɪˈhaɪnd ʌs bʌt aɪ broʊk əˈweɪ ənd ræn ˈdaʊnˈsterz tuː ðə ˈsɜːrdʒəri tuː ɡoʊ ənd kraɪ fɔːr maɪ lɔːst ˈpleɪmeɪt wɪð ðə ˈʃerər ʌv ɔːl ˈaʊər ɡeɪmz ˈʌŋkəl dʒɔːrdʒ/

Line 4

I opened the surgery door and could see nobody.

/aɪ ˈoʊpənd ðə ˈsɜːrdʒəri dɔːr ənd kʊd siː ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/

Line 5

I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

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.

games noun US /ɡeɪmz/

plural of “game” — a contest with rules to determine a winner

From this reading “She seemed to have a confused desire to keep me from leaving her after the door had closed behind us; but I broke away and ran downstairs to the surgery, to go and cry for my lost playmate with the sharer of all our games, Uncle George.”

mute adjective US /mjuːt/

expressed without speech

From this reading “I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.”

playmate noun US /ˈpleɪmeɪt/

a companion at play

sharer noun US /ˈʃerər/

someone who has or gives or receives a part or a share

shortened adjective US /ˈʃɔːrtənd/

cut short

From this reading “I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.”

surgery noun US /ˈsɜːrdʒəri/

the branch of medical science that treats disease or injury by operative procedures

wisely adverb US /ˈwaɪzli/

in a wise manner

From this reading “I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.”

witnessing verb US /ˈwɪtnəsɪŋ/

-ing form of “witness” — be a witness to

From this reading “I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.”

All words in this reading · 88

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

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 She seemed to have a confused desire to keep me from leaving her after the door had closed behind us; but I broke away and ran downstairs to the surgery, to go and cry for my lost playmate with the sharer of all our games, Uncle George.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

appointedadjectiveUS /əˈpɔɪntɪd/

subject to appointment

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

auntnounUS /ænt/

the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

Caroline's

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

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

closedadjectiveUS /kloʊzd/

not open or affording passage or access

confusedadjectiveUS /kənˈfjuːzd/

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

consideratelyadverb

in a considerate manner

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading I opened the surgery door and could see nobody.

cryverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

despairnounUS /dɪˈsper/

a state in which all hope is lost or absent

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

downstairsadverbUS /ˈdaʊnˈsterz/

on a floor below

driedadjectiveUS /draɪd/

not still wet

From this reading I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

emptyverbUS /ˈempti/

make void or empty of contents

From this reading I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/

possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

gamesnounUS /ɡeɪmz/

plural of “game” — a contest with rules to determine a winner

GeorgenounUS /dʒɔːrdʒ/

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

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

griefnounUS /ɡriːf/

intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hardadjectiveUS /hɑːrd/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

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

leavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/

the act of departing

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

meetingnounUS /ˈmiːtɪŋ/

a formally arranged gathering

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/

possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

muteadjectiveUS /mjuːt/

expressed without speech

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

nobodypronounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/

no person; not anyone

From this reading I opened the surgery door and could see nobody.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading I opened the surgery door and could see nobody.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

passionateadjectiveUS /ˈpæʃənət/

having or expressing strong emotions

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

playmatenounUS /ˈpleɪmeɪt/

a companion at play

ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

scenenounUS /siːn/

the place where some action occurs

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading I opened the surgery door and could see nobody.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

sharernounUS /ˈʃerər/

someone who has or gives or receives a part or a share

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

shortenedadjectiveUS /ˈʃɔːrtənd/

cut short

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

sufferverbUS /ˈsʌfər/

undergo or be subjected to

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

surgerynounUS /ˈsɜːrdʒəri/

the branch of medical science that treats disease or injury by operative procedures

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

tearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading I dried my tears and looked all round the room—it was empty.

tenderadjectiveUS /ˈtendər/

given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

trialnounUS /ˈtraɪəl/

the act of testing something

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

UnclenounUS /ˈʌŋkəl/

the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

wiselyadverbUS /ˈwaɪzli/

in a wise manner

From this reading I remember that the scene of our first meeting after Caroline’s death was wisely and considerately shortened by my aunt, who took me out of the room.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

witnessingverbUS /ˈwɪtnəsɪŋ/

-ing form of “witness” — be a witness to

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading I was taken home on the appointed day to suffer the trial—a hard one even at my tender years—of witnessing my mother’s passionate grief and my father’s mute despair.

Chapter 7 of The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 Queen of Hearts contain?

Chapter 7 holds 87 sentences of The Queen of Hearts, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Queen of Hearts by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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.

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Work through the 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 18 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.

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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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Chapter VII · Chapter 7

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