Chapter 23 of Eight Cousins is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Eight Cousins is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty. “P'raps I will, and p'raps I won't. What is it?” “Haven't Arch and Charlie quarrelled?” “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
Chapter 23 of Eight Cousins is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading ““Haven't Arch and Charlie quarrelled?””
a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance
From this reading ““Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.”
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading ““Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.”
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading ““Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.”
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading ““Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.”
a full supply
From this reading ““Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.”
plural of “row” — an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading ““Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading ““Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.”
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “P'raps I will, and p'raps I won't.
react verbally
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading “Haven't Arch and Charlie quarrelled?”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Haven't Arch and Charlie quarrelled?”
a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Haven't Arch and Charlie quarrelled?”
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What is it?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What is it?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
a brief written record
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “P'raps I will, and p'raps I won't.
a full supply
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Haven't Arch and Charlie quarrelled?”
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
plural of “row” — an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
express in words
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
express in words
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Dare say; we fellows are always having little rows, you know.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is it?”
during the time that
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
which person or people
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “P'raps I will, and p'raps I won't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “P'raps I will, and p'raps I won't.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Steve, I want you to tell me something,” said Rose to Dandy, who was making faces at himself in the glass, while he waited for an answer to the note he brought from his mother to Aunt Plenty.
Chapter 23 of Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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.
Chapter 23 holds 164 sentences of Eight Cousins, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 23 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 Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2965 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2726 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2726, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 247 minutes of reading across 593 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Eight Cousins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Eight Cousins 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 Eight Cousins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
