Chapter 8 of Ben Pepper is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Ben Pepper is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Oh, Ben!" exclaimed Polly, incredulously. "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you. He couldn't." "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly. Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."
Chapter 8 of Ben Pepper is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “"Oh, Ben!" exclaimed Polly, incredulously.”
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “"Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “"Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.”
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “"Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “"Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.”
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading “Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."”
not moving or operating freely
From this reading “Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."”
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.
In this reading “"Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.”
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 "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading "Oh, Ben!" exclaimed Polly, incredulously.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Oh, Ben!" exclaimed Polly, incredulously.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
in an incredulous manner
From this reading "Oh, Ben!" exclaimed Polly, incredulously.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."
engage in
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, Ben!" exclaimed Polly, incredulously.
and nothing more
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, Ben!" exclaimed Polly, incredulously.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
plural of “stick” — an implement consisting of a length of wood
From this reading Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."
not moving or operating freely
From this reading Now his do, and mine look stiff as sticks."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well," said Ben, with a long breath, "I only wish I could make my things seem as if they moved, Polly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Perhaps he can do something, but he couldn't draw like you.
Chapter 8 of Ben Pepper by Margaret Sidney holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of Ben Pepper, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Ben Pepper by Margaret Sidney exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Ben Pepper by Margaret Sidney on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5389 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35178 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35178, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 449 minutes of reading across 1078 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ben Pepper section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Ben Pepper 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 Ben Pepper, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
