Chapter 7 of The unpretenders is here in full — 367 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The unpretenders is here in full — 367 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear. “But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty. “I--was trying to draw lace.” “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.” John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.
Chapter 7 of The unpretenders is here in full — 367 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading ““Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.””
placed in a grave
From this reading “Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.”
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading ““But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading ““I--was trying to draw lace.””
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading “John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.”
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading ““I--was trying to draw lace.””
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading ““But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.”
in or at or to some place
From this reading “Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.”
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 ““But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.”
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 “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
placed in a grave
From this reading Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading “But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “I--was trying to draw lace.”
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.
the act of departing
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading “I--was trying to draw lace.”
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.
with speed
From this reading John Gwynne could act quickly in matters of importance.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I--was trying to draw lace.”
hard to endure
From this reading “I--was trying to draw lace.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I--was trying to draw lace.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Lucia’s lips were buried somewhere about his ear.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.
an affirmative
From this reading “But--I--I--yes,” she murmured with difficulty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well,” said John Gwynne, “you’re going to draw a good deal bigger things than that.”
Chapter 7 of The unpretenders by Ruth Cranston holds 367 sentences, grouped into 74 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 367 sentences of The unpretenders, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The unpretenders by Ruth Cranston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 367 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 74 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 unpretenders by Ruth Cranston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The unpretenders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The unpretenders 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 unpretenders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
