Chapter 8 of Maybee's Stepping-Stones is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Maybee's Stepping-Stones is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But the path—where is it? Oh! it’s all gone—all _gone_! We are drowned! We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear. “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
Chapter 8 of Maybee's Stepping-Stones is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading ““Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.”
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading “We are drowned!”
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading “We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.”
web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading ““Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.”
a course of conduct
From this reading ““But the path—where is it?”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.”
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading ““Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.”
subject to change or variation
From this reading ““Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.”
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 ““Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.”
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 “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
(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 Oh! it’s all gone—all _gone_!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are drowned!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But the path—where is it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading We are drowned!
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
excessively agitated; distraught with fear or other violent emotion
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Oh! it’s all gone—all _gone_!
web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But the path—where is it?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “But the path—where is it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh! it’s all gone—all _gone_!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh! it’s all gone—all _gone_!
have ownership or possession of
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
a course of conduct
From this reading “But the path—where is it?
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “But the path—where is it?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
subject to change or variation
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are drowned!
in or at the place that
From this reading “But the path—where is it?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Don’t be a goose, Bob!” said Will, his own voice a trifle unsteady.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We _are_ drowned!” and poor Robert ran this way and that, half frantic with fear.
Chapter 8 of Maybee's Stepping-Stones by Archie Fell holds 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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 380 sentences of Maybee's Stepping-Stones, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Maybee's Stepping-Stones by Archie Fell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 Maybee's Stepping-Stones by Archie Fell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3171 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48375 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48375, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 264 minutes of reading across 635 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Maybee's Stepping-Stones section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Maybee's Stepping-Stones 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 Maybee's Stepping-Stones, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
