Chapter 7 of The Touchstone is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Touchstone is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service? I don’t know what your other friends expect!” “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job. Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.” He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
Chapter 7 of The Touchstone is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “I don’t know what your other friends expect!””
characteristic of or befitting a friend
From this reading ““Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading ““Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.”
held up in the air
From this reading “He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.”
something offered (as a proposal or bid)
From this reading ““Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?”
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading “Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.””
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading ““Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?”
inflected form of “undertake” — enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading ““Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.”
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 “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know what your other friends expect!”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading I don’t know what your other friends expect!”
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
opinion or judgment
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
characteristic of or befitting a friend
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading I don’t know what your other friends expect!”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don’t know what your other friends expect!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don’t know what your other friends expect!”
held up in the air
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
the force of workers available
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.
something offered (as a proposal or bid)
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading I don’t know what your other friends expect!”
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He lifted his eyes to Flamel and the two men looked at each other.
inflected form of “undertake” — enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don’t know what your other friends expect!”
which person or people
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Those who would have done so would probably have expected to be paid.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Some of my friends wouldn’t have undertaken the job.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Simple enough--your offering me money in return for a friendly service?
Chapter 7 of The Touchstone by Edith Wharton holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 197 sentences of The Touchstone, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Touchstone by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Touchstone by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1596 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #267 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #267, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 320 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Touchstone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Touchstone 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 Touchstone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
