Chapter 7 of The Syndic is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Syndic is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She did. It was a tight squeeze. He fingered one of the cartridges. The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead. He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
Chapter 7 of The Syndic is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 pointed head or striking tip of an arrow
From this reading “The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.”
plural of “cartridge” — ammunition consisting of a cylindrical casing containing an explosive charge and a bullet; fired from a rifle or handgun
From this reading “He fingered one of the cartridges.”
having or resembling a finger or fingers; often used in combination
From this reading “He fingered one of the cartridges.”
the finger next to the thumb
From this reading “He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.”
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading “He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.”
a bony hollow into which a structure fits
From this reading “The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.”
to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
From this reading “It was a tight squeeze.”
past form of “wrench” — twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates
From this reading “He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.”
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.
understand, usually after some initial difficulty
In this reading “He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.”
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 It was a tight squeeze.
(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 He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
the pointed head or striking tip of an arrow
From this reading The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.
plural of “cartridge” — ammunition consisting of a cylindrical casing containing an explosive charge and a bullet; fired from a rifle or handgun
From this reading He fingered one of the cartridges.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did.
having or resembling a finger or fingers; often used in combination
From this reading He fingered one of the cartridges.
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.
the finger next to the thumb
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He fingered one of the cartridges.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a tight squeeze.
extremely crowed or filled to capacity
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
in a nice way
From this reading The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He fingered one of the cartridges.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He fingered one of the cartridges.
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did.
a bony hollow into which a structure fits
From this reading The bullet fitted nicely into the socket of an arrowhead.
to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
From this reading It was a tight squeeze.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He fingered one of the cartridges.
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading It was a tight squeeze.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a tight squeeze.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
past form of “wrench” — twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates
From this reading He jammed the bullet in and wrenched at the arrowhead with thumb and forefinger--all he could get onto it.
Chapter 7 of The Syndic by C. M. (Cyril M.) Kornbluth holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of The Syndic, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Syndic by C. M. (Cyril M.) Kornbluth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Syndic by C. M. (Cyril M.) Kornbluth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4203 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41714 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41714, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 350 minutes of reading across 841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Syndic section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Syndic 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 Syndic, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
