Chapter 8 of Elsie's children is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Elsie's children is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes; but do you like his looks?" "No; I do not desire his acquaintance." "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know." "No; so let us keep out of his way." "But without seeming to do so?"
Chapter 8 of Elsie's children is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading “"No; I do not desire his acquaintance."”
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading “"No; I do not desire his acquaintance."”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “"Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."”
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “"Yes; but do you like his looks?"”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."”
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading “"But without seeming to do so?"”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “"Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “"Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."”
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.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading "No; I do not desire his acquaintance."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes; but do you like his looks?"
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading "No; I do not desire his acquaintance."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Yes; but do you like his looks?"
the father of your father or mother
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Yes; but do you like his looks?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No; I do not desire his acquaintance."
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "No; so let us keep out of his way."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "No; so let us keep out of his way."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Yes; but do you like his looks?"
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "Yes; but do you like his looks?"
not any; not one
From this reading "No; I do not desire his acquaintance."
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No; I do not desire his acquaintance."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "No; so let us keep out of his way."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "No; so let us keep out of his way."
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading "But without seeming to do so?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "No; so let us keep out of his way."
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "No; so let us keep out of his way."
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "But without seeming to do so?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Nor I; he's not the sort that papa and grandpa would wish us to know."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes; but do you like his looks?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes; but do you like his looks?"
Chapter 8 of Elsie's children by Martha Finley holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of Elsie's children, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Elsie's children by Martha Finley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Elsie's children by Martha Finley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3504 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14875 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14875, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 292 minutes of reading across 701 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Elsie's children section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Elsie's children 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 Elsie's children, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
