Chapter 8 of Jude the Obscure is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Jude the Obscure is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And I for you. Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!” He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing. Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one? … But Sue was so dear!
Chapter 8 of Jude the Obscure is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading “Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?”
having a defect
From this reading “Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!””
inclined or able to forgive and show mercy
From this reading “Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!””
extremely painful
From this reading “He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.”
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading “He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.”
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
From this reading “Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!””
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading “He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And I for you.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
for the reason that
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading … But Sue was so dear!
dearly loved
From this reading … But Sue was so dear!
having an ambiguous sexual identity
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
having a defect
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “And I for you.
inclined or able to forgive and show mercy
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
extremely painful
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And I for you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading … But Sue was so dear!
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He looked away, for that epicene tenderness of hers was too harrowing.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Was it that which had broken the heart of the poor leader-writer; and was he to be the next one?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And I for you.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Because you are single-hearted, and forgiving to your faulty and tiresome little Sue!”
Chapter 8 of Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 397 sentences of Jude the Obscure, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jude the Obscure section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Jude the Obscure 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 Jude the Obscure, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
