Chapter 8 of Cowper is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Cowper is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CLOSE OF LIFE. Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself. Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction. His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed. He was now sixty.
Chapter 8 of Cowper is here in full — 95 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
of benefit to or intended to benefit your physical makeup
From this reading “His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.”
English surgeon who discovered Cowper's gland (1666-1709)
From this reading “Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.”
comparative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.”
any unwholesome or desperate condition
From this reading “His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.”
the act of removing
From this reading “Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.”
the act of killing yourself
From this reading “Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading “Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.”
United States photographer(1886-1958)
From this reading “Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.”
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 Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
later than; following
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
anew
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
tried unsuccessfully
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading CLOSE OF LIFE.
of benefit to or intended to benefit your physical makeup
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
English surgeon who discovered Cowper's gland (1666-1709)
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
comparative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading CLOSE OF LIFE.
roused to anger
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
any unwholesome or desperate condition
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He was now sixty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading CLOSE OF LIFE.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
on one occasion
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
the act of removing
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
the act of killing yourself
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
being ten more than fifty
From this reading He was now sixty.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cowper says there could not have been a happier trio on earth than Lady Hesketh, Mrs. Unwin, and himself.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
United States photographer(1886-1958)
From this reading Nevertheless, after his removal to Weston, he again went mad, and once more attempted self-destruction.
a late time of life
From this reading His malady was constitutional, and it settled down upon him as his years increased, and his strength failed.
Chapter 8 of Cowper by Goldwin Smith holds 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 95 sentences of Cowper, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Cowper by Goldwin Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 95 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Cowper by Goldwin Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cowper section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Cowper 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 Cowper, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
