Chapter 8 of E. K. Means is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of E. K. Means is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Shorely!” Mustard asserted eagerly. “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.” The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill. They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
Chapter 8 of E. K. Means is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
confidently declared to be so
From this reading “Mustard asserted eagerly.”
a large bundle bound for storage or transport
From this reading ““I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.””
a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
From this reading “They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.”
lift or elevate
From this reading ““I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.””
any of several cruciferous plants of the genus Brassica
From this reading “Mustard asserted eagerly.”
structural member consisting of a continuous horizontal timber forming the lowest member of a framework or supporting structure
From this reading “The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.”
a boat propelled by a steam engine
From this reading ““I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.””
a capacious bag or basket
From this reading ““I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.””
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 “They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.”
In this reading “The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.”
In this reading “The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.”
rest on for support
In this reading “The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.”
In this reading “They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.”
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 “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
confidently declared to be so
From this reading Mustard asserted eagerly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
a large bundle bound for storage or transport
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading Mustard asserted eagerly.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
lift or elevate
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
a person having kinship with another or others
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
held up in the air
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
any of several cruciferous plants of the genus Brassica
From this reading Mustard asserted eagerly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Shorely!”
structural member consisting of a continuous horizontal timber forming the lowest member of a framework or supporting structure
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
a boat propelled by a steam engine
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They stooped and caught hold of the grating at the lower end, and leaning backward, they lifted up and in.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
a capacious bag or basket
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “I kin heft a bale of cotton an’ tote it up de gang-plank of a steamboat.”
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 The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The three stood up in the window with their feet resting on the sill.
Chapter 8 of E. K. Means by E. K. (Eldred Kurtz) Means holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of E. K. Means, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of E. K. Means by E. K. (Eldred Kurtz) Means exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 E. K. Means by E. K. (Eldred Kurtz) Means on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6536 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59121 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59121, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 544 minutes of reading across 1308 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through E. K. Means section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of E. K. Means 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 E. K. Means, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
