Chapter 8 of Light-Fingered Gentry is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Light-Fingered Gentry is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully. Hugo continued to look and began to laugh. "Ridiculous!" he repeated. "Don’t you think so, father?" "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
Chapter 8 of Light-Fingered Gentry is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 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.
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading “"It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.”
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading “"It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.”
French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)
From this reading “Hugo continued to look and began to laugh.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “Hugo continued to look and began to laugh.”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"Ridiculous!" he repeated.”
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading “"Ridiculous!" he repeated.”
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading “Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.”
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.
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 Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Hugo continued to look and began to laugh.
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Hugo continued to look and began to laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don’t you think so, father?"
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Don’t you think so, father?"
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
only a very short time before
From this reading "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Ridiculous!" he repeated.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)
From this reading Hugo continued to look and began to laugh.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Hugo continued to look and began to laugh.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Hugo continued to look and began to laugh.
recurring again and again
From this reading "Ridiculous!" he repeated.
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading "Ridiculous!" he repeated.
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Don’t you think so, father?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Don’t you think so, father?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hugo continued to look and began to laugh.
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading Amy’s eyes flashed and she tossed her head scornfully.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "It is hardly what I expected," confessed Fosdick.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Don’t you think so, father?"
Chapter 8 of Light-Fingered Gentry by David Graham Phillips holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of Light-Fingered Gentry, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Light-Fingered Gentry by David Graham Phillips exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Light-Fingered Gentry by David Graham Phillips on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8149 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48621 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48621, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1630 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Light-Fingered Gentry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Light-Fingered Gentry 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 Light-Fingered Gentry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
