Chapter 8 of April Hopes is here in full — 411 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 April Hopes is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand. You want to be rid of me.” “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone. “Alice!” “You know I didn't mean it, Dan.”
Chapter 8 of April Hopes is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading ““Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.”
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading ““Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.”
located inward
From this reading ““Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.”
interpret in the wrong way
From this reading ““No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.”
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading ““Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.”
relieve from
From this reading “You want to be rid of me.””
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading ““Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading ““Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Alice!”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You want to be rid of me.”
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You know I didn't mean it, Dan.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You know I didn't mean it, Dan.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
located inward
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “You know I didn't mean it, Dan.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “You know I didn't mean it, Dan.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You want to be rid of me.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “You know I didn't mean it, Dan.”
interpret in the wrong way
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
not any; not one
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You want to be rid of me.”
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
relieve from
From this reading You want to be rid of me.”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
a special situation
From this reading “No; but I can do the next best thing: I can misunderstand.
the swift release of a store of affective force
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You want to be rid of me.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading You want to be rid of me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
at the time that
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Shall you be rid of me when we've parted?” she asked, with an inner thrill of earnestness in her gay tone.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You want to be rid of me.”
Chapter 8 of April Hopes by William Dean Howells holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 411 sentences of April Hopes, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of April Hopes by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 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 April Hopes by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6976 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3404 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3404, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 581 minutes of reading across 1396 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through April Hopes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of April Hopes 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 April Hopes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
