Chapter VIII of Making His Mark, “A Cold Reception,” is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VIII
Chapter VIII of Making His Mark, “A Cold Reception,” is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification. Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs. "Who are you talking with, Abel?" "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane. Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.
Chapter VIII of Making His Mark, “A Cold Reception,” is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
Norwegian mathematician (1802-1829)
From this reading “"I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.”
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading “Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.”
stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading “"It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.”
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.”
a narrow way or road
From this reading “Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.”
possessive form of “lane” — a narrow way or road
From this reading “Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.”
strong feelings of embarrassment
From this reading “"I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.”
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 “Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.”
In this reading “Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.”
In this reading “"I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.”
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.
Norwegian mathematician (1802-1829)
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Who are you talking with, Abel?"
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.
stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.
and nothing more
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
a narrow way or road
From this reading Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.
possessive form of “lane” — a narrow way or road
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.
strong feelings of embarrassment
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "Who are you talking with, Abel?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
precisely as stated
From this reading Mrs. Lane descended the stairs slowly, looking very much annoyed.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Just then Mrs. Lane's voice was heard from the head of the stairs.
which person or people
From this reading "Who are you talking with, Abel?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I DON'T think she is," said Abel, reddening with mortification.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Who are you talking with, Abel?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It's me, Melindy—your brother Alonzo," said Mr. Crane.
Chapter 8 of Making His Mark by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 149 sentences of Making His Mark, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Making His Mark by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Making His Mark by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4739 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55217 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55217, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 948 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Making His Mark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Making His Mark 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 Making His Mark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
