Chapter 8 of Miss Billy is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Miss Billy is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?” “'Enough'! What do you mean?” Kate raised her eyebrows. “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
Chapter 8 of Miss Billy is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading “A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?””
a confidential or secret meeting
From this reading “A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?””
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading “Kate raised her eyebrows.”
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading “A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?””
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading “A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?””
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading “A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?””
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading “Kate raised her eyebrows.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading ““Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?””
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 A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
later than; following
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
a confidential or secret meeting
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What do you mean?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading Kate raised her eyebrows.
a social unit living together
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
a young female
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading What do you mean?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Kate raised her eyebrows.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What do you mean?”
at the time that
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A FAMILY CONCLAVE “Well, William,” greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, “have you had enough, now?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here; are you?”
Chapter 8 of Miss Billy by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 76 sentences of Miss Billy, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Miss Billy by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Miss Billy by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4086 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3266 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3266, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 340 minutes of reading across 818 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miss Billy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Miss Billy 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 Miss Billy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
