Chapter 8 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It has turned out most happily," I murmured. "It was almost disaster. After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that.... I should have killed myself." "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
Chapter 8 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
bound with chains
From this reading “After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....”
plural of “court” — an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading “"But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.”
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “"But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.”
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading “"It was almost disaster.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “"It has turned out most happily," I murmured.”
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading “After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “"It has turned out most happily," I murmured.”
wanting in physical strength
From this reading “After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....”
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 After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
later than; following
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "It was almost disaster.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
bound with chains
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
plural of “court” — an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading "It was almost disaster.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
in a joyous manner
From this reading "It has turned out most happily," I murmured.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It has turned out most happily," I murmured.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It has turned out most happily," I murmured.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It has turned out most happily," I murmured.
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I should have killed myself."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
used to form the superlative
From this reading "It has turned out most happily," I murmured.
a form of address for a man
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "It has turned out most happily," I murmured.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "It has turned out most happily," I murmured.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I should have killed myself."
not in physical motion
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
moved around an axis or center
From this reading "It has turned out most happily," I murmured.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It was almost disaster.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading After meeting Mr. Joyce--and I was weak enough to let myself become engaged--to have discovered that I was still chained to a living creature like that....
in the company of; together with
From this reading "But surely the courts--" She shook her head with decision.
Chapter 8 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8990 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11721 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11721, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1798 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920 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 O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1920, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
