Chapter 8 of Bertie's Home is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Bertie's Home is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE UNDERPINNING. "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive. "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break. It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near. In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
Chapter 8 of Bertie's Home is here in full — 64 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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 smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil
From this reading “"What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.”
suited to your comfort or purpose or needs
From this reading “It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.”
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading “"I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.”
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading “"I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.”
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.”
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading “"What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.”
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading “"I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.”
inflected form of “underpin” — support from beneath
From this reading “THE UNDERPINNING.”
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 It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
a smith who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil
From this reading It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
terminate
From this reading "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.
suited to your comfort or purpose or needs
From this reading It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
the act of departing
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
the force of workers available
From this reading "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.
restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.
not any; not one
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE UNDERPINNING.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading "I'm going to engage him to mend the tools that the men break.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
inflected form of “underpin” — support from beneath
From this reading THE UNDERPINNING.
precisely as stated
From this reading It's very convenient to have a blacksmith so near.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
(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 "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
in or at the place that
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading In the town where my parents lived, there was no blacksmith within three miles.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What are you going to the blacksmith's for?" inquired Bertie, as he took the reins, proud to show his father how well he could drive.
Chapter 8 of Bertie's Home by Madeline Leslie holds 64 sentences, grouped into 13 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 64 sentences of Bertie's Home, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Bertie's Home by Madeline Leslie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 64 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Bertie's Home by Madeline Leslie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 722 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23683 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23683, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 60 minutes of reading across 145 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bertie's Home section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Bertie's Home 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 Bertie's Home, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
