The weight of the name

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The weight of the name is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Paul Bourget • Curated US English Learning Edition

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This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

Landri was not listening.

He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

The half-familiarity of his speech proved it.

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter VII Reading 1/91

The weight of the name

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of The weight of the name is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/91 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

Line 2

Landri was not listening.

Line 3

He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

/hiː wɑːz ˈlʊkɪŋ æt ðə fʊt ʌv ðə ˌmɑːnjəˈmentəl ˈsterkeɪs ənd æt ðə brɔːd stoʊn sterz wɪtʃ hiː kʊd noʊ mɔːr əˈvɔɪd əˈsendɪŋ ðæn ə kənˈdemd mæn ðoʊz ʌv ðə ˈskæfəld/

Line 4

This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

Line 5

The half-familiarity of his speech proved it.

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.

ascending adjective US /əˈsendɪŋ/

moving or going or growing upward

From this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

avoid verb US /əˈvɔɪd/

stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

chatter verb US /ˈtʃætər/

click repeatedly or uncontrollably

From this reading “This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.”

condemned verb US /kənˈdemd/

past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of

From this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

monumental adjective US /ˌmɑːnjəˈmentəl/

relating or belonging to or serving as a monument

From this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

perfunctory adjective US /pərˈfʌŋktəri/

hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

From this reading “This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.”

scaffold noun US /ˈskæfəld/

a platform from which criminals are executed (hanged or beheaded)

From this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

staircase noun US /ˈsterkeɪs/

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

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.

stone stairs noun + noun

In this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

broad stone adjective + noun

In this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

at the foot preposition + article + noun counted as “at … foot”

In this reading “He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.”

All words in this reading · 56

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 This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

ascendingadjectiveUS /əˈsendɪŋ/

moving or going or growing upward

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

avoidverbUS /əˈvɔɪd/

stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

broadadjectiveUS /brɔːd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

chatterverbUS /ˈtʃætər/

click repeatedly or uncontrollably

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

Claviers

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

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

condemnedverbUS /kənˈdemd/

past form of “condemn” — express strong disapproval of

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

footnounUS /fʊt/

the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

half-familiarity

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

From this reading The half-familiarity of his speech proved it.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The half-familiarity of his speech proved it.

informedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfɔːrmd/

having much knowledge or education

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The half-familiarity of his speech proved it.

Jaubourg's

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

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

Landri

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

From this reading Landri was not listening.

listeningnounUS /ˈlɪsənɪŋ/

the act of hearing attentively

From this reading Landri was not listening.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

MnounUS /em/

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

monumentaladjectiveUS /ˌmɑːnjəˈmentəl/

relating or belonging to or serving as a monument

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

mourner's

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

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Landri was not listening.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

perfunctoryadjectiveUS /pərˈfʌŋktəri/

hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

provedadjectiveUS /pruːvd/

established beyond doubt

From this reading The half-familiarity of his speech proved it.

scaffoldnounUS /ˈskæfəld/

a platform from which criminals are executed (hanged or beheaded)

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

speechnounUS /spiːtʃ/

the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience

From this reading The half-familiarity of his speech proved it.

staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

stairsnounUS /sterz/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Landri was not listening.

welladverbUS /wel/

(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 This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He was looking at the foot of the monumental staircase, and at the broad stone stairs which he could no more avoid ascending than a condemned man those of the scaffold.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading This perfunctory mourner's chatter might have gone on for a long while.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading This man who informed him of M. Jaubourg's death knew M. de Claviers and himself too well.

Chapter 7 of The weight of the name by Paul Bourget holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 weight of the name contain?

Chapter 7 holds 457 sentences of The weight of the name, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of The weight of the name by Paul Bourget exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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.

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Chapter VII

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