Chapter 8 of Austin and His Friends is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Austin and His Friends is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face. "That's a most delightfully original suggestion. May I ask what religion you belong to?" "What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry. "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
Chapter 8 of Austin and His Friends is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “"What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.”
state capital of Texas on the Colorado River; site of the University of Texas
From this reading “"Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.”
in a delightful manner
From this reading “"That's a most delightfully original suggestion.”
an instance of questioning
From this reading “"What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.”
past form of “scowl” — frown with displeasure
From this reading “"What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “"Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.”
an idea that is suggested
From this reading “"That's a most delightfully original suggestion.”
in an affectionate or loving manner (“sweet” is sometimes a poetic or informal variant of “sweetly”)
From this reading “"Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.”
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 "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading May I ask what religion you belong to?"
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading "What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.
state capital of Texas on the Colorado River; site of the University of Texas
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading May I ask what religion you belong to?"
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.
in a delightful manner
From this reading "That's a most delightfully original suggestion.
an instance of questioning
From this reading "What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading May I ask what religion you belong to?"
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May I ask what religion you belong to?"
used to form the superlative
From this reading "That's a most delightfully original suggestion.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading "That's a most delightfully original suggestion.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading May I ask what religion you belong to?"
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
past form of “scowl” — frown with displeasure
From this reading "What religion!" scowled the curate's friend, astounded at the enquiry.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
an idea that is suggested
From this reading "That's a most delightfully original suggestion.
in an affectionate or loving manner (“sweet” is sometimes a poetic or informal variant of “sweetly”)
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's a most delightfully original suggestion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading May I ask what religion you belong to?"
in the direction of
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "Really!" he exclaimed, turning towards the speaker, a bright smile of interest upon his face.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading May I ask what religion you belong to?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes--it must be one I never heard of," replied Austin, sweetly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading May I ask what religion you belong to?"
Chapter 8 of Austin and His Friends by Frederic Henry Balfour holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of Austin and His Friends, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Austin and His Friends by Frederic Henry Balfour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Austin and His Friends by Frederic Henry Balfour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3713 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16099 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16099, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 743 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Austin and His Friends section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Austin and His Friends 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 Austin and His Friends, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
