Chapter 8 of God's Playthings is here in full — 418 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 God's Playthings is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess. “I have never seen you sit idle before.” “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein. “I have never heard you speak of him before.” “Every night lately I have been thinking of him.
Chapter 8 of God's Playthings is here in full — 418 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.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading ““Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading ““Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.”
not in action or at work
From this reading ““I have never seen you sit idle before.””
in the recent past
From this reading ““Every night lately I have been thinking of him.”
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading ““Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.”
make reference to
From this reading ““Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.”
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading ““Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.”
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading ““Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.”
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 ““I have never seen you sit idle before.””
In this reading ““I have never heard you speak of him before.””
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Every night lately I have been thinking of him.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “I have never seen you sit idle before.”
determine the number or amount of
From this reading “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “Every night lately I have been thinking of him.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have never seen you sit idle before.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “I have never heard you speak of him before.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I have never heard you speak of him before.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have never seen you sit idle before.”
not in action or at work
From this reading “I have never seen you sit idle before.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.
in the recent past
From this reading “Every night lately I have been thinking of him.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.
make reference to
From this reading “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “I have never seen you sit idle before.”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Every night lately I have been thinking of him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I have never heard you speak of him before.”
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I have never seen you sit idle before.”
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
be seated
From this reading “I have never seen you sit idle before.”
express in speech
From this reading “I have never heard you speak of him before.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “Every night lately I have been thinking of him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why did you mention Count von Königsmarck?” replied Madame von Arlestein.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why do you not finish your sewing?” asked the Princess.
Chapter 8 of God's Playthings by Marjorie Bowen holds 418 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 418 sentences of God's Playthings, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of God's Playthings by Marjorie Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 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 God's Playthings by Marjorie Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3402 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49504 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49504, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 681 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through God's Playthings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of God's Playthings 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 God's Playthings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
