Chapter 8 of A Dream of Empire is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of A Dream of Empire is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you. I'm hearty. How's all your kith an' kin? I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so. Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.
Chapter 8 of A Dream of Empire is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.”
showing warm and heartfelt friendliness
From this reading “I'm hearty.”
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading “I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.”
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading “"I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.”
a person having kinship with another or others
From this reading “How's all your kith an' kin?”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “"I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.”
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.”
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 thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading How's all your kith an' kin?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading How's all your kith an' kin?
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
a quad with a square body
From this reading Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.
showing warm and heartfelt friendliness
From this reading I'm hearty.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How's all your kith an' kin?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm hearty.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
United States diplomat and jurist who negotiated peace treaties with Britain and served as the first chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1745-1829)
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.
a person having kinship with another or others
From this reading How's all your kith an' kin?
your friends and acquaintances
From this reading How's all your kith an' kin?
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
express in words
From this reading Jist say to the boys I'm making a crossgun for 'em.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I was talking to that other jay, Mr. B. But I'd ruther talk to you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I thought of coming down to the island, to see you, but now you're here, I'll put off the trip a week or so.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading How's all your kith an' kin?
Chapter 8 of A Dream of Empire by William Henry Venable holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of A Dream of Empire, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Dream of Empire by William Henry Venable exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Dream of Empire by William Henry Venable on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5093 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18840 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18840, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 424 minutes of reading across 1019 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Dream of Empire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of A Dream of Empire 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 Dream of Empire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
