Chapter 7 of Willing to Die: A Novel is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Willing to Die: A Novel is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CATASTROPHE. The steamer looked very near now and large. It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks. The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time. The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
Chapter 7 of Willing to Die: A Novel is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “CATASTROPHE.”
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading “It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.”
a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall
From this reading “The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.”
with the head foremost
From this reading “The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.”
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading “The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.”
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading “It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.”
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.”
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading “The steamer looked very near now and large.”
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 “It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.”
In this reading “The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.”
In this reading “It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.”
simultaneously
In this reading “The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.”
In this reading “The steamer looked very near now and large.”
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 The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The steamer looked very near now and large.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
loud cries made while weeping
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading CATASTROPHE.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
a tract of land with few or no trees in the middle of a wooded area
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
a cheap disreputable nightclub or dance hall
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
with the head foremost
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The steamer looked very near now and large.
for more time
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The steamer looked very near now and large.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The steamer looked very near now and large.
not any; not one
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The steamer looked very near now and large.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading The steamer looked very near now and large.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The steamer looked very near now and large.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The steamer mounted very high, and then seemed to dive headlong into the sea, and was lost to sight.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
precisely as stated
From this reading The steamer looked very near now and large.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was plain it had no longer any chance of clearing the rocks.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The boatmen were bawling to one another, but I could not understand what they said, nor hear more than a word or two at a time.
Chapter 7 of Willing to Die: A Novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 208 sentences of Willing to Die: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Willing to Die: A Novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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.
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Yes. All 7837 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34662 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34662, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1568 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Willing to Die: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Willing to Die: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
