Chapter 8 of Fruitfulness is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Fruitfulness is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently. "Oh! I can believe that. All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar. But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
Chapter 8 of Fruitfulness is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 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.
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading “But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.”
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading “"The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.”
plural of “prescription” — directions prescribed beforehand; the action of prescribing authoritative rules or directions
From this reading “All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.”
inferior in strength or significance
From this reading “"The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.”
a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats
From this reading “All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.”
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading “All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.”
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, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I can believe that.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can believe that.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
in a gradual manner
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can believe that.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!
plural of “prescription” — directions prescribed beforehand; the action of prescribing authoritative rules or directions
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
inferior in strength or significance
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
recurring again and again
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
Identical; not different.
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I can believe that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The child is quite puny," repeated her friend, more gently.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading All the same I should like to see the doctor's prescriptions, and the soap and the sugar.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But, you know, I don't care a button about the matter.
Chapter 8 of Fruitfulness by Émile Zola holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of Fruitfulness, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Fruitfulness by Émile Zola exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Fruitfulness by Émile Zola on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8107 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10330 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10330, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1622 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fruitfulness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Fruitfulness 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 Fruitfulness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
