Chapter 7 of Unwise Child is here in full — 403 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 Unwise Child is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Sure." "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right. So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?" Again Jeffers said, "Sure." "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
Chapter 7 of Unwise Child is here in full — 403 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.
without advance planning
From this reading “"My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.”
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “"I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.”
taking care or paying attention
From this reading “"I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.”
an opposing military force
From this reading “"My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.”
United States poet who wrote about California (1887-1962)
From this reading “Again Jeffers said, "Sure."”
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading “"I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.”
past form of “persist” — continue to exist
From this reading “"I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.”
under normal conditions
From this reading “So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"”
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 "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
without advance planning
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
anew
From this reading Again Jeffers said, "Sure."
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
an opposing military force
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
United States poet who wrote about California (1887-1962)
From this reading Again Jeffers said, "Sure."
engage in
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
above and across; more than
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
past form of “persist” — continue to exist
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
express in words
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Sure."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
a special situation
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
under normal conditions
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My old man always said, 'Never make an enemy accidentally,' and I think he was right.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading So I usually think over what I say before I open my big mouth, don't I?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wouldn't call myself over-cautious," Mike persisted, "but I usually think a thing through pretty carefully before I act--that is, if I have time.
Chapter 7 of Unwise Child by Randall Garrett holds 403 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 403 sentences of Unwise Child, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Unwise Child by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 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 Unwise Child by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4461 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23335 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23335, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 371 minutes of reading across 893 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Unwise Child section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Unwise Child 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 Unwise Child, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
