Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
A Reckless Character, and Other Stories
A Reckless Character, and Other Stories

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for A Reckless Character, and Other Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/76 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.
And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.
He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.
On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.
Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Reckless Character, and Other Stories

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/76 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.
Line 2
And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.
Line 3
He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.
Line 4
On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.
/ɑːn hɪz weɪ bæk tuː ˈmɑːskoʊ hiː wɑːz əˈɡen siːzd wɪð ə sɔːrt ʌv ˈstuːpər/
Line 5
Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

Learner Dictionary

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.

detected adjective US /dɪˈtektəd/

perceived or discerned

From this reading “He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.”

drowsy adjective US /ˈdraʊzi/

half asleep

From this reading “Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.”

Kazan noun US /ˈkeɪzən/

United States stage and screen director (born in Turkey) and believer in method acting (1909-2003)

From this reading “And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.”

Moscow noun US /ˈmɑːskoʊ/

a city of central European Russia; formerly capital of both the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia; since 1991 the capital of the Russian Federation

From this reading “On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.”

photographic adjective US /ˌfoʊtəˈɡræfɪk/

relating to photography or obtained by using photography

From this reading “And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.”

repelled verb US /rəˈpeld/

inflected form of “repel” — cause to move back by force or influence

From this reading “Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.”

stupor noun US /ˈstuːpər/

the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally

From this reading “On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.”

underlined verb US /ˈʌndərlaɪnd/

past form of “underline” — give extra weight to (a communication)

From this reading “He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

AlthoughconjunctionUS /ˌɔːlˈðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

AnnanounUS /ˈænə/

a former copper coin of Pakistan and India

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.

Aratoff

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

Clara

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

copy-book

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

cutverbUS /kʌt/

separate with or as if with an instrument

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

detectedadjectiveUS /dɪˈtektəd/

perceived or discerned

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

divineadjectiveUS /dɪˈvaɪn/

emanating from God

From this reading Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.

drowsyadjectiveUS /ˈdraʊzi/

half asleep

From this reading Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

KazannounUS /ˈkeɪzən/

United States stage and screen director (born in Turkey) and believer in method acting (1909-2003)

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

MadamenounUS /ˈmædəm/

title used for a married Frenchwoman

From this reading Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.

Milovidoff

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.

MoscownounUS /ˈmɑːskoʊ/

a city of central European Russia; formerly capital of both the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia; since 1991 the capital of the Russian Federation

From this reading On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

pagenounUS /peɪdʒ/

one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

photographicadjectiveUS /ˌfoʊtəˈɡræfɪk/

relating to photography or obtained by using photography

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

portraitnounUS /ˈpɔːrtrət/

a word picture of a person's appearance and character

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

reachverbUS /riːtʃ/

reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

rejoicedverbUS /rɪˈdʒɔɪst/

past form of “rejoice” — feel happiness or joy

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

repelledverbUS /rəˈpeld/

inflected form of “repel” — cause to move back by force or influence

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

returnedverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrnd/

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

secretlyadverbUS /ˈsiːkrɪtli/

in secrecy; not openly

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

seizedverbUS /siːzd/

past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab

From this reading On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

side-pocket

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

sortnounUS /sɔːrt/

a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

stupornounUS /ˈstuːpər/

the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally

From this reading On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.

underlinedverbUS /ˈʌndərlaɪnd/

past form of “underline” — give extra weight to (a communication)

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Madame Milovidoff was too drowsy to divine anything.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading On his way back to Moscow he was again seized with a sort of stupor.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And so Aratoff left Kazan with the photographic portrait in the side-pocket of his coat.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading He had returned the copy-book to Anna, but without her having detected it, he had cut out the page on which stood the underlined words.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Although he secretly rejoiced that he had got what he went for, yet he repelled all thoughts of Clara until he should reach home again.

Chapter 8 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev holds 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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.

What does chapter 8 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories contain?

Chapter 8 holds 380 sentences of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories?

Work through the 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 76 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Reckless Character, and Other Stories

Common questions about reading A Reckless Character, and Other Stories by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories?

Yes. All 4561 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15994 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #15994, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Reckless Character, and Other Stories take to read?

About 380 minutes of reading across 913 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Reckless Character, and Other Stories section by section

How to work through A Reckless Character, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Reckless Character, and Other Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Reckless Character, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Translated
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Russian
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Isabel
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hapgood
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Reckless Character, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.