Chapter 8 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IRENE, ASPASIA, MAID. MAID. A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa. IRENE. Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
Chapter 8 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 is here in full — 377 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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 act of admitting someone to enter
From this reading “A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.”
on or to one side
From this reading “Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.”
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.”
city in southwestern Colombia in a rich agricultural area
From this reading “A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.”
a female domestic
From this reading “IRENE, ASPASIA, MAID.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.”
dignified manner or conduct
From this reading “A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.”
of or relating to or characteristic of Turkey or its people or language
From this reading “A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.”
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 A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
the act of admitting someone to enter
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
on or to one side
From this reading Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IRENE, ASPASIA, MAID.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
city in southwestern Colombia in a rich agricultural area
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IRENE, ASPASIA, MAID.
a female domestic
From this reading IRENE, ASPASIA, MAID.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
dignified manner or conduct
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
of or relating to or characteristic of Turkey or its people or language
From this reading A Turkish stranger, of majestick mien, Asks at the gate admission to Aspasia, Commission'd, as he says, by Cali bassa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whoe'er thou art, or whatsoe'er thy message, [Aside.
Chapter 8 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson holds 377 sentences, grouped into 76 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 377 sentences of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 377 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 by Samuel Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7024 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10835 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10835, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 585 minutes of reading across 1405 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1 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 Dr. Johnson's Works — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
