Chapter 8 of Black Diamonds: A Novel is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Black Diamonds: A Novel is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy. She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion. "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement. "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once." "By what messenger?"
Chapter 8 of Black Diamonds: A Novel is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “"What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.”
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading “"AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.”
-ing form of “desire” — feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “"I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.”
a person who carries a message
From this reading “"By what messenger?"”
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading “She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.”
tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield
From this reading “"AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.”
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading “"I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “"I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."”
In this reading “"AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.”
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 "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
next to; at the side of
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By what messenger?"
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
-ing form of “desire” — feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
a boy or man
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
a person who carries a message
From this reading "By what messenger?"
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
on one occasion
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
the season of growth
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
someone who manages property or other affairs for someone else
From this reading "I am desiring my steward to be sent for at once."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
having come into contact
From this reading She ran to her bell-apparatus, touched the spring, and the machine put itself into motion.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "AN OBSTINATE FELLOW" Countess Theudelinde was beside herself with joy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What are you doing, countess?" asked the abbé, in some amazement.
Chapter 8 of Black Diamonds: A Novel by Mór Jókai holds 252 sentences, grouped into 51 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 252 sentences of Black Diamonds: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Black Diamonds: A Novel by Mór Jókai exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 252 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Black Diamonds: A Novel by Mór Jókai on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7934 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32668 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32668, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1587 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Black Diamonds: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Black Diamonds: A Novel 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 Black Diamonds: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
