Chapter 8 of A House Divided Against Itself is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of A House Divided Against Itself is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you. I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.” “What did you want, Frances? Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire. I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
Chapter 8 of A House Divided Against Itself is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.”
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading “I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.””
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading “I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.””
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading ““What did you want, Frances?”
address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.”
a roofed arcade or gallery with open sides stretching along the front or side of a building; often at an upper level
From this reading “I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.””
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading ““It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.”
past form of “spare” — refrain from harming
From this reading “I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.””
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.
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 Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
for the reason that
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
a lake in southeastern Germany on the northern side of the Swiss Alps; forms part of the Rhine River
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “What did you want, Frances?
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “What did you want, Frances?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
a roofed arcade or gallery with open sides stretching along the front or side of a building; often at an upper level
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.
and nothing more
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
by chance
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.
on the contrary
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
precisely, exactly
From this reading Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.
past form of “spare” — refrain from harming
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
express in speech
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Oh, I quite acknowledge that you have a right to inquire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I hoped, perhaps, I might be spared to-night; I am rather exhausted--to-night.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “What did you want, Frances?
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What did you want, Frances?
at the time that
From this reading I was waiting in the loggia for you, when Constance came.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It is not because of this only, papa--I wanted before to speak to you.
Chapter 8 of A House Divided Against Itself by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 211 sentences of A House Divided Against Itself, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A House Divided Against Itself by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 House Divided Against Itself by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3267 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61442 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61442, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 272 minutes of reading across 654 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A House Divided Against Itself section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of A House Divided Against Itself 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 House Divided Against Itself, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
