Chapter 8 of Bess of the Woods is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Bess of the Woods is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Madam!” “There, there; don’t frown at me, Richard. Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness? Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating. I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.”
Chapter 8 of Bess of the Woods is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 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.
past form of “consent” — give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to
From this reading “I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.””
expose or make accessible to some action or influence
From this reading “Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?”
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading “Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.”
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading ““There, there; don’t frown at me, Richard.”
the act of indulging or gratifying a desire
From this reading “Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?”
plural of “jeer” — showing your contempt by derision
From this reading “Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?”
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading “I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.””
not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic
From this reading “Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?”
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 “Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?”
In this reading “Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.”
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 Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “There, there; don’t frown at me, Richard.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
past form of “consent” — give an affirmative reply to; respond favorably to
From this reading I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There, there; don’t frown at me, Richard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.”
expose or make accessible to some action or influence
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “There, there; don’t frown at me, Richard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
the act of indulging or gratifying a desire
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
plural of “jeer” — showing your contempt by derision
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
a woman of refinement
From this reading “Madam!”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “There, there; don’t frown at me, Richard.
plural of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
many times at short intervals
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.”
not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “There, there; don’t frown at me, Richard.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
term of address for a man
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading I am surprised that Dr. Sugg consented to the proposal.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There, there; don’t frown at me, Richard.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
displeasing to the senses
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
precisely as stated
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Mary Sugg is ugly, but she is a woman, and ugly women, sir, are often very fascinating.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading Can you not see, sir, that you would expose yourself to the jeers and gossipings of your neighbors by indulging in this quixotic sort of kindness?
Chapter 8 of Bess of the Woods by Warwick Deeping holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of Bess of the Woods, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Bess of the Woods by Warwick Deeping exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Bess of the Woods by Warwick Deeping on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7202 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57758 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57758, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1441 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bess of the Woods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Bess of the Woods 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 Bess of the Woods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
