Chapter 8 of Main-Travelled Roads is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Main-Travelled Roads is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel." "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk. "The man is a savage. I came home to help you all, not to quarrel." "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
Chapter 8 of Main-Travelled Roads is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
put or pin the blame on
From this reading “"But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.”
A soft white limestone used for marking doors, stone walls, and slate.
From this reading “"But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.”
plural of “fit” — a display of bad temper
From this reading “"Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.”
possessive form of “grant” — any monetary aid
From this reading “"Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.”
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading “"But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.”
an angry dispute
From this reading “"Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “"The man is a savage.”
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading “"But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.”
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 I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
(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 I came home to help you all, not to quarrel."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
put or pin the blame on
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I came home to help you all, not to quarrel."
A soft white limestone used for marking doors, stone walls, and slate.
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
plural of “fit” — a display of bad temper
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
possessive form of “grant” — any monetary aid
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I came home to help you all, not to quarrel."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I came home to help you all, not to quarrel."
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I came home to help you all, not to quarrel."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The man is a savage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "The man is a savage.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
in a piteous manner
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
an angry dispute
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading "The man is a savage.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
a Caucasian
From this reading "But I'm not to blame, mother," cried Howard, in a sickness that made him white as chalk.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Boys," called the mother, piteously, "it's terrible to see you quarrel."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Grant's got one o' his fits on," said the young wife, speaking for the first time.
Chapter 8 of Main-Travelled Roads by Hamlin Garland holds 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 223 sentences of Main-Travelled Roads, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Main-Travelled Roads by Hamlin Garland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Main-Travelled Roads by Hamlin Garland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2809 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2809, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 555 minutes of reading across 1332 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Main-Travelled Roads section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Main-Travelled Roads 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 Main-Travelled Roads, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
