Chapter 7 of The Return is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Return is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sheila broke down. ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless. I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour. And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety. What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
Chapter 7 of The Return is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
an enzyme found in mammals that can catalyze the deamination of adenosine into inosine and ammonia
From this reading “I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.”
a tract of land used for burials
From this reading “What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?”
having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
From this reading “And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.”
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading “‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.”
-ing form of “loiter” — be about
From this reading “What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?”
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading “What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?”
extremely
From this reading “And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.”
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading “And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.
an enzyme found in mammals that can catalyze the deamination of adenosine into inosine and ammonia
From this reading I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.
lacking funds
From this reading Sheila broke down.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.
a tract of land used for burials
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
starch prepared from the grains of corn; used in cooking as a thickener
From this reading I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Sheila broke down.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
-ing form of “loiter” — be about
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
used to form the superlative
From this reading I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
extremely
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
express in words
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sheila broke down.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.
a special situation
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I told Ada to be most careful about the cornflour.
a source of difficulty
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What motive could you have had for loitering in an old cemetery?
at the time that
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And as for other ways out, it’s a positively wicked thing to say to me when I’m nearly distracted with trouble and anxiety.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Any one would think to hear you talk, that I was perfectly heartless.
Chapter 7 of The Return by Walter De la Mare holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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.
Chapter 7 holds 202 sentences of The Return, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Return by Walter De la Mare exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Return by Walter De la Mare on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5551 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3075 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3075, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 462 minutes of reading across 1111 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Return section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Return 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 Return, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
