Chapter 8 of Miscellanea is here in full — 399 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 Miscellanea is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently. "That's not very likely," replied she. "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls." "Have you been a queen very long?" Peter inquired.
Chapter 8 of Miscellanea is here in full — 399 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.
a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading “"Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.”
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading “"It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Peter inquired.”
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading “"That's not very likely," replied she.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “"Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.”
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading “"Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.”
in the near future
From this reading “"Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.”
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading “"It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."”
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 "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Have you been a queen very long?"
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you been a queen very long?"
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading Peter inquired.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading "That's not very likely," replied she.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Have you been a queen very long?"
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "That's not very likely," replied she.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
participate in games or sport
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
in the near future
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "That's not very likely," replied she.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "That's not very likely," replied she.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's not very likely," replied she.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
precisely as stated
From this reading "That's not very likely," replied she.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "It would not do for a queen to play at dolls."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Did you bring your doll, Mary?" said Peter presently.
Chapter 8 of Miscellanea by Juliana Horatia Ewing holds 399 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 399 sentences of Miscellanea, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Miscellanea by Juliana Horatia Ewing exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 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 Miscellanea by Juliana Horatia Ewing on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3214 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16347 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16347, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 267 minutes of reading across 643 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miscellanea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Miscellanea 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 Miscellanea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
