Chapter 8 of From a Swedish Homestead is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of From a Swedish Homestead is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase. '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them. "How shall I be released from it?" 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him. 'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.
Chapter 8 of From a Swedish Homestead is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
confined by bonds
From this reading “'"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.”
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading “'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.”
a lawyer who pleads cases in court
From this reading “'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.”
plural of “henchman” — someone who assists in a plot
From this reading “'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.”
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.”
an insane person
From this reading “'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.”
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading “"How shall I be released from it?"”
intense anger (usually on an epic scale)
From this reading “'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.”
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 “'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.”
In this reading “"How shall I be released from it?"”
In this reading “'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.”
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 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "How shall I be released from it?"
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading 'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
confined by bonds
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
a lawyer who pleads cases in court
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "How shall I be released from it?"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
plural of “henchman” — someone who assists in a plot
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How shall I be released from it?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "How shall I be released from it?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "How shall I be released from it?"
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading 'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.
an insane person
From this reading 'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.
the force of workers available
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
not any; not one
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
not one, and not any
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip
From this reading "How shall I be released from it?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "How shall I be released from it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
in the direction of
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
precisely as stated
From this reading 'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.
which person or people
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading '"My will is bound by this promise," he said to them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'Then the King turned towards his henchmen who had been with him to the chase.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading 'But none of the King's men answered a word; no one knew how to counsel him.
intense anger (usually on an epic scale)
From this reading 'Then Oluf Skötkonung became very wrath; he became like a madman.
Chapter 8 of From a Swedish Homestead by Selma Lagerlöf holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of From a Swedish Homestead, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of From a Swedish Homestead by Selma Lagerlöf exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 From a Swedish Homestead by Selma Lagerlöf on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5139 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44630 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #44630, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 428 minutes of reading across 1028 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From a Swedish Homestead section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of From a Swedish Homestead 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 From a Swedish Homestead, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
