Chapter 7 of The Web of Time is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Web of Time is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What do you mean, my son? How could it be so?" "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way. You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct. Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
Chapter 7 of The Web of Time is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading “You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.”
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading “You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.”
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “"Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.”
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?”
plural of “scent” — a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading “You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “"Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.”
a male human offspring
From this reading “"What do you mean, my son?”
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “"Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.”
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 You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
any thing at all
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading How could it be so?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could it be so?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you mean, my son?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could it be so?"
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How could it be so?"
and nothing more
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "What do you mean, my son?
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "What do you mean, my son?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
plural of “scent” — a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading How could it be so?"
a male human offspring
From this reading "What do you mean, my son?
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You know how easily a mother kind of scents out anything like that about a son—just by a kind of instinct.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Well, don’t you think sons love mothers just as much as mothers love sons?—and don’t they have the same kind of intuitions?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
(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, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Well, mother," he went on, his voice low and serious, "look at it this way.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you mean, my son?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you mean, my son?
Chapter 7 of The Web of Time by Robert E. (Robert Edward) Knowles holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of The Web of Time, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Web of Time by Robert E. (Robert Edward) Knowles exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Web of Time by Robert E. (Robert Edward) Knowles on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5056 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 421 minutes of reading across 1012 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Web of Time section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Web of Time 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 Web of Time, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
