Chapter 8 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred. Will you tell them?" "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual. Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!" Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
Chapter 8 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"”
commodities (goods or services) bought from a foreign country
From this reading “Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"”
a small worthless amount
From this reading “Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.”
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading “"Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.”
in the near future
From this reading “"I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.”
be standing; be upright
From this reading “Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"”
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading “"Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
any thing at all
From this reading Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
commodities (goods or services) bought from a foreign country
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
a small worthless amount
From this reading Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
a particular point in time
From this reading Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
and nothing more
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
in the near future
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
express in words
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
express in words
From this reading Will you tell them?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Poor Jack looked like anything but grinning at that moment.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Will you tell them?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I say," said he presently to me, "I must go, Fred.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Will you tell them?"
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, if you like, only--" "Now then, you two," cried Mr Doubleday, looking round; "there you are, larking about as usual.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Will you tell them?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Go off to your work, young Import, do you hear? and don't stand grinning there!"
Chapter 8 of My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of My Friend Smith, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8701 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21036 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21036, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1741 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Friend Smith section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of My Friend Smith 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 My Friend Smith, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
