Chapter 7 of Youth and the Bright Medusa is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Youth and the Bright Medusa is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever. He dropped his Bohemian friends. No more suppers and theatre-parties. Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always. Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
Chapter 7 of Youth and the Bright Medusa is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading “He dropped his Bohemian friends.”
plural of “buyer” — a person who buys
From this reading “Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.”
plural of “customer” — someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading “Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.”
a state in midwestern United States
From this reading “Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.”
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading “Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.”
one of the five boroughs of New York City
From this reading “Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.”
a mug intended for serving beer
From this reading “"To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.”
plural of “supper” — a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading “No more suppers and theatre-parties.”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading No more suppers and theatre-parties.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
the action or reaction of something (as a machine or substance) under specified circumstances
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading He dropped his Bohemian friends.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
plural of “buyer” — a person who buys
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
plural of “customer” — someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading He dropped his Bohemian friends.
at any time
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading He dropped his Bohemian friends.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He dropped his Bohemian friends.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
a state in midwestern United States
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
one of the five boroughs of New York City
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
of an obscure nature
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
not any; not one
From this reading No more suppers and theatre-parties.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
a mug intended for serving beer
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
plural of “supper” — a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading No more suppers and theatre-parties.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No more suppers and theatre-parties.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Sometimes he took two or three good customers, large buyers from St. Louis or Kansas City.
under normal conditions
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
at any time that; every time that
From this reading Whenever Kitty sang, he was in his box at the Manhattan, usually alone, but not always.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "To the outside world Stein became more mysterious in his behaviour than ever.
Chapter 7 of Youth and the Bright Medusa by Willa Cather holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of Youth and the Bright Medusa, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Youth and the Bright Medusa by Willa Cather exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Youth and the Bright Medusa by Willa Cather on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3677 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13555 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13555, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 306 minutes of reading across 736 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Youth and the Bright Medusa section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Youth and the Bright Medusa 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 Youth and the Bright Medusa, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
