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Dream Days
Dream Days

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Dream Days is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Dream Days
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.
He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.
He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.
As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.
He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Dream Days

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Dream Days is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.
Line 2
He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.
Line 3
He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.
Line 4
As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.
Line 5
He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Chalk noun US /tʃɔːk/

A soft white limestone used for marking doors, stone walls, and slate.

From this reading “As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.”

All words in this reading · 70

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

about

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

as

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

at

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

baking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

be

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

below

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

big

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

breathed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

cart-horses

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

cave

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

chalknounUS /tʃɔːk/

A soft white limestone used for marking doors, stone walls, and slate.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

chin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

cool

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

covered

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

deep-blue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

enjoying

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

evening

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

flicker

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

four

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

green

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

had

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

half-way

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

He

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

HIM

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

his

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

I'm

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

meditating

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

nostrils

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

o

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

off

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

on

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

our

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

out

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

over

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

paws

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

poetical

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

roads

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

say

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

scales

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

see

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

seemed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

shading

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

shepherd

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

shiny

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

should

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

sort

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

sticking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

summer

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

telling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

tender

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

things

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He had his chin on his paws, and I should say he was meditating about things.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

top

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

way

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “He was sticking half-way out of the cave, and seemed to be enjoying of the cool of the evening in a poetical sort of way.

Why

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

windless

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading As he breathed, there was that sort of flicker over his nostrils that you see over our chalk roads on a baking windless day in summer.

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was as big as four cart-horses, and all covered with shiny scales--deep-blue scales at the top of him, shading off to a tender sort o' green below.

you

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Why HIM, I'm a telling you!” said the shepherd.

Chapter 8 of Dream Days by Kenneth Grahame holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 8 of Dream Days contain?

Chapter 8 holds 149 sentences of Dream Days, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Dream Days by Kenneth Grahame exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of Dream Days?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Dream Days

Common questions about reading Dream Days by Kenneth Grahame on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Dream Days?

Yes. All 1717 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #270 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Dream Days is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #270, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Dream Days take to read?

About 143 minutes of reading across 344 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Dream Days section by section

How to work through Dream Days section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of Dream Days to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Dream Days

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dream Days, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Matter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dream Days; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
General
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dream Days; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Culture
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dream Days; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Attainments
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dream Days; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.