Chapter 8 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'I'm always right in these matters. But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?' 'Not a thing,' said I. 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.' And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
Chapter 8 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading “'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'”
possessive form of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading “'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'”
small golden or orange-red freshwater fishes of Eurasia used as pond or aquarium fishes
From this reading “But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'”
possessive form of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading “'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'”
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading “But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'”
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading “'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'”
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading “And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.”
to no avail
From this reading “And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.”
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 But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading 'I'm always right in these matters.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'
an occurrence of something
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'
possessive form of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
divisible by two
From this reading But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
small golden or orange-red freshwater fishes of Eurasia used as pond or aquarium fishes
From this reading But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Not a thing,' said I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I'm always right in these matters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'I'm always right in these matters.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
possessive form of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading 'I'm always right in these matters.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'Not a thing,' said I.
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
precisely, exactly
From this reading 'I'm always right in these matters.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Not a thing,' said I.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading 'I'm always right in these matters.
a special situation
From this reading 'Not a thing,' said I.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
to no avail
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
in or at the place that
From this reading 'You know what an old maid's like where her precious dog's concerned.'
a late time of life
From this reading And though I have tried vainly to lie to Ella Godfrey for many years, I believe that in this case I succeeded.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But didn't she even offer you a goldfish?'
Chapter 8 of A Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling holds 415 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 8 holds 415 sentences of A Diversity of Creatures, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 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 Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13085 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13085, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1627 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Diversity of Creatures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of A Diversity of Creatures 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 Diversity of Creatures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
