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The Turnstile
The Turnstile

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Turnstile is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Turnstile
Context Illustration Reading 1/76 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.
The reaper was still laughing.
"Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.
"There's no Cynthia.
There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Turnstile

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The Turnstile is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/76 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.
Line 2
The reaper was still laughing.
/ðə ˈriːpər wɑːz stɪl ˈlæfɪŋ/
Line 3
"Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.
Line 4
"There's no Cynthia.
Line 5
There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

Learner Dictionary

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.

contemptuously adverb US /kənˈtemptʃwəsli/

without respect; in a disdainful manner

From this reading “"Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
corn noun US /kɔːrn/

tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times

From this reading “There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Cynthia noun US /ˈsɪnθiə/

(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana

From this reading “"Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
laughing adjective US /ˈlæfɪŋ/

showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness

From this reading “The reaper was still laughing.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reaper noun US /ˈriːpər/

someone who helps to gather the harvest

From this reading “BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
repeating noun US /rɪˈpiːtɪŋ/

the act of doing or performing again

From this reading “"Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Robert noun US /ˈrɑːbərt/

United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)

From this reading “BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sides noun US /saɪdz/

plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading “BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

little girl adjective + noun

a youthful female person

In this reading “There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.”

51,659 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 48

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BOTHdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contemptuouslyadverbUS /kənˈtemptʃwəsli/

without respect; in a disdainful manner

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cornnounUS /kɔːrn/

tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CynthianounUS /ˈsɪnθiə/

(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Daventry

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Pending verification
DOORnounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Joan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Pending verification
laughingadjectiveUS /ˈlæfɪŋ/

showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness

From this reading The reaper was still laughing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "There's no Cynthia.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prettyadjectiveUS /ˈprɪti/

pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
reapernounUS /ˈriːpər/

someone who helps to gather the harvest

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
repeatingnounUS /rɪˈpiːtɪŋ/

the act of doing or performing again

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RobertnounUS /ˈrɑːbərt/

United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SIDESnounUS /saɪdz/

plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
standingadjectiveUS /ˈstændɪŋ/

having a supporting base

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading The reaper was still laughing.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
There's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There's no Cynthia.

Pending verification
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading There's a very pretty little girl I saw this morning in the corn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The reaper was still laughing.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "Cynthia!" he cried, repeating contemptuously the name which Robert Daventry had used.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WithinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading BOTH SIDES OF THE DOOR Within the room the three people were standing, the reaper upon one side of the table, Joan and Robert Daventry close together upon the other.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 7 of The Turnstile by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason holds 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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.

What does chapter 7 of The Turnstile contain?

Chapter 7 holds 380 sentences of The Turnstile, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The Turnstile by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of The Turnstile?

Work through the 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 76 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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Turnstile

Common questions about reading The Turnstile by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Turnstile?

Yes. All 8014 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38689 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Turnstile is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #38689, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Turnstile take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1603 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Turnstile section by section

How to work through The Turnstile section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Turnstile to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Turnstile

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Turnstile, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Diphthong
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Turnstile; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Represented
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Turnstile; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Broken
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Turnstile; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Villa
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Turnstile; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.