Chapter 8 of Christina and the boys is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Christina and the boys is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR. O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade. He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand. "Dear me!" he ejaculated. "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
Chapter 8 of Christina and the boys is here in full — 264 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
in the past
From this reading “"What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!”
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading “He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.”
become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly
From this reading “O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.”
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “"What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!”
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.”
possessing material wealth
From this reading “"I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.”
past form of “whistle” — make whistling sounds
From this reading “He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.”
covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
From this reading “He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.”
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 “"What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!”
In this reading “"What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!”
close in space; within reach
In this reading “He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.”
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 "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
in the past
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
dearly loved
From this reading "Dear me!" he ejaculated.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Dear me!" he ejaculated.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
a boy or man
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Dear me!" he ejaculated.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
possessing material wealth
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
up to a particular time
From this reading O'FLAGHERTY did not miss the children till the light began to fade.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I WAS MADE RICH TO HELP THE POOR" MR.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What a fellow I am for losing sight of time; we ought to have started for home an hour ago!
at the time that
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
past form of “whistle” — make whistling sounds
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
From this reading He was quite wrapped up in his picture, and when he whistled to them, he expected that they would be close at hand.
Chapter 8 of Christina and the boys by Amy Le Feuvre holds 264 sentences, grouped into 53 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 264 sentences of Christina and the boys, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Christina and the boys by Amy Le Feuvre exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 264 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 Christina and the boys by Amy Le Feuvre on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3800 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75332 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75332, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 316 minutes of reading across 760 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Christina and the boys section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Christina and the boys 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 Christina and the boys, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
