Chapter 7 of The Swing of the Pendulum is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Swing of the Pendulum is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud. As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet. The near reflections were now dark. "To live here alone! Can you conceive it?"
Chapter 7 of The Swing of the Pendulum is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading “They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.”
have the idea for
From this reading “Can you conceive it?"”
a state of high honor
From this reading “They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.”
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.”
plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “The near reflections were now dark.”
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading “They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.”
(music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale
From this reading “They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.”
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading “They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.”
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.
In this reading “They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.”
form a cover over
In this reading “They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.”
In this reading “"To live here alone!”
In this reading “"To live here alone!”
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 They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
anew
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
(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 As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
Having no one else present.
From this reading "To live here alone!
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you conceive it?"
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
have the idea for
From this reading Can you conceive it?"
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The near reflections were now dark.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
so thin as to transmit light
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
a state of high honor
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "To live here alone!
discontinued temporarily
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "To live here alone!
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The near reflections were now dark.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The near reflections were now dark.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
and nothing more
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
above and across; more than
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading The near reflections were now dark.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
cut with a saw
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
the process of permeating or infusing something with a substance
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
(music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
resembling or characteristic of vapor
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
precisely as stated
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The near reflections were now dark.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading They scrambled round to the western side, a filmy glory spread over the heavens, interrupted only by the swoop of a grey vapourish cloud.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading As it had been all along, what the waters saw they gave back again, so that the golden suffusion reached to their very feet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Can you conceive it?"
Chapter 7 of The Swing of the Pendulum by Frances Mary Peard holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Swing of the Pendulum, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Swing of the Pendulum by Frances Mary Peard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Swing of the Pendulum by Frances Mary Peard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7435 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43157 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43157, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1487 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Swing of the Pendulum section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Swing of the Pendulum 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 Swing of the Pendulum, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
