Chapter 8 of "I Say No" is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of "I Say No" is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Emily entered the room. The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side. Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage. Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage. Then, there was silence.
Chapter 8 of "I Say No" is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 continuing very loud noise
From this reading “Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.”
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading “The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.”
a small house with a single story
From this reading “Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.”
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading “Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.”
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading “The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.”
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.”
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading “Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.”
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.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
a continuing very loud noise
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
a small house with a single story
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Emily entered the room.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Emily entered the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Emily entered the room.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Then, there was silence.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Emily entered the room.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the banging of the door that led into the kitchen shook the flimsily-built cottage.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Then, there was silence.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The door was immediately closed on her from the outer side.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Mrs. Ellmother’s heavy steps were heard retreating along the passage.
Chapter 8 of "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 8 holds 190 sentences of "I Say No", unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9092 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1629, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1819 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "I Say No" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of "I Say No" 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 "I Say No", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
