Chapter 7 of Thunder on the left is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Thunder on the left is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I _didn’t_ hear them. I wasn’t listening; I couldn’t. Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.” He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better. For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
Chapter 7 of Thunder on the left is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
malicious satisfaction
From this reading “For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.”
full of or characterized by humor
From this reading “For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.”
-ing form of “interrupt” — make a break in
From this reading “Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.””
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading “Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.””
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “I wasn’t listening; I couldn’t.”
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.”
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading “He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.”
not anticipated
From this reading “For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.”
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 “He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.”
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 He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wasn’t listening; I couldn’t.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I _didn’t_ hear them.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
malicious satisfaction
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “I _didn’t_ hear them.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
full of or characterized by humor
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I _didn’t_ hear them.
-ing form of “interrupt” — make a break in
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading I wasn’t listening; I couldn’t.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
absolutely essential
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
above and across; more than
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
express in words
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “I _didn’t_ hear them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading He thrilled a little at himself, and felt better.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
not anticipated
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I wasn’t listening; I couldn’t.
at the time that
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading For he had his Moments: unforeseen felicities when he said the humorous and necessary word: and when his Moments came he could not help gloating over them.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Oh, Joyce, Joyce, there’s so much I want to say, and your eyes keep interrupting me.”
Chapter 7 of Thunder on the left by Christopher Morley holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of Thunder on the left, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Thunder on the left by Christopher Morley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Thunder on the left by Christopher Morley 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 Thunder on the left section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Thunder on the left 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 Thunder on the left, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
