Chapter 8 of A Bevy of Girls 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 VIII
Chapter 8 of A Bevy of Girls is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room. "What is it?" she said. "Are you inclined to come in and help me? This room is in a disgraceful state. I must really change Martha."
Chapter 8 of A Bevy of Girls 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.
in a busy manner
From this reading “She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.”
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading “I must really change Martha."”
giving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation
From this reading “This room is in a disgraceful state.”
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.”
-ing form of “dust” — remove the dust from
From this reading “She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.”
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading “She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.”
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading “"Are you inclined to come in and help me?”
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “This room is in a disgraceful state.”
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 “She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.”
a formal room where visitors can be received and entertained
In this reading “She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.”
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 This room is in a disgraceful state.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
in a busy manner
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading I must really change Martha."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
giving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation
From this reading This room is in a disgraceful state.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
-ing form of “dust” — remove the dust from
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
set up or found
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I must really change Martha."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?" she said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?" she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I must really change Martha."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must really change Martha."
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading I must really change Martha."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What is it?" she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading This room is in a disgraceful state.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She found her mother busily engaged dusting the drawing room.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This room is in a disgraceful state.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?" she said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you inclined to come in and help me?
Chapter 8 of A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade 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 8 holds 403 sentences of A Bevy of Girls, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade 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 8 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 A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43118 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43118, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 503 minutes of reading across 1209 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Bevy of Girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of A Bevy of Girls 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 A Bevy of Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
