Chapter 8 of Dimbie and I—and Amelia is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Dimbie and I—and Amelia is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him. He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness. I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow. It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features. Jumbles rubbed his face against my shoulder.
Chapter 8 of Dimbie and I—and Amelia is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading “I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.”
things that make you comfortable and at ease
From this reading “DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.”
power to direct or determine
From this reading “It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.”
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading “It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.”
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.”
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading “He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “Jumbles rubbed his face against my shoulder.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.”
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 “He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.”
In this reading “He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.”
In this reading “It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.”
In this reading “DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.”
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Jumbles rubbed his face against my shoulder.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
things that make you comfortable and at ease
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
power to direct or determine
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
comparative of “easy” — posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jumbles rubbed his face against my shoulder.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jumbles rubbed his face against my shoulder.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading Jumbles rubbed his face against my shoulder.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Jumbles rubbed his face against my shoulder.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
precisely as stated
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading It is so much easier to control one's voice than one's features.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
at the time that
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
a Caucasian
From this reading DIMBIE COMFORTS ME Dimbie went very white when I told him.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading He walked to the window and stared for some time at the gathering darkness.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I had chosen this hour, knowing my face would be in shadow.
Chapter 8 of Dimbie and I—and Amelia by Mabel Barnes-Grundy holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 120 sentences of Dimbie and I—and Amelia, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Dimbie and I—and Amelia by Mabel Barnes-Grundy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Dimbie and I—and Amelia by Mabel Barnes-Grundy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47003 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47003, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 543 minutes of reading across 1304 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dimbie and I—and Amelia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Dimbie and I—and Amelia 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 Dimbie and I—and Amelia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
