Chapter 7 of The Return of the Prodigal is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 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 of the Prodigal is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next. "I say, I want you to do something for me. I want you to look after Furny." "To look after him?" "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
Chapter 7 of The Return of the Prodigal is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “"To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."”
the state of cohering or sticking together
From this reading “She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.”
do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
From this reading “She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.”
be standing; be upright
From this reading “"To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."”
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.”
plural of “trifle” — a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.”
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading “She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.”
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.
keep under careful scrutiny
In this reading “I want you to look after Furny."”
not act or do anything
In this reading “"To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."”
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 "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
later than; following
From this reading I want you to look after Furny."
anew
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
(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 talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
the state of cohering or sticking together
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I say, I want you to do something for me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I say, I want you to do something for me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I want you to look after Furny."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "To look after him?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I say, I want you to do something for me.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I want you to look after Furny."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I say, I want you to do something for me.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
express in words
From this reading "I say, I want you to do something for me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "I say, I want you to do something for me.
be standing; be upright
From this reading "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "To stand by him, if--if he has a bad time."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
plural of “trifle” — a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading She talked again of trifles, to destroy all cohesion between that utterance and her next.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I say, I want you to do something for me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I say, I want you to do something for me.
Chapter 7 of The Return of the Prodigal by May Sinclair holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of The Return of the Prodigal, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Return of the Prodigal by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 of the Prodigal by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7139 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31595 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31595, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 594 minutes of reading across 1428 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Return of the Prodigal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Return of the Prodigal 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 of the Prodigal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
