Chapter 8 of Of High Descent 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 Of High Descent is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm afraid not." "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed. Now what do you think of this? How would he be with me?" Madelaine flushed with pleasure.
Chapter 8 of Of High Descent 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.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading “"What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.”
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “"What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.”
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading “Madelaine flushed with pleasure.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.”
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading “Madelaine flushed with pleasure.”
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading “"What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.”
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “"What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.”
something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
From this reading “"What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.”
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 “Madelaine flushed with pleasure.”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “Now what do you think of this?”
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 "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "I'm afraid not."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
having the pinkish flush of health
From this reading Madelaine flushed with pleasure.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How would he be with me?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How would he be with me?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm afraid not."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madelaine flushed with pleasure.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading How would he be with me?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm afraid not."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now what do you think of this?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading Madelaine flushed with pleasure.
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
express in words
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
something that is a counterfeit; not what it seems to be
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Now what do you think of this?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading How would he be with me?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading How would he be with me?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you say to this?--I will not be a sham--I want to serve him for reasons which I dare say you guess; reasons of which I am not in the least ashamed.
Chapter 8 of Of High Descent by George Manville Fenn 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 Of High Descent, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Of High Descent by George Manville Fenn 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 Of High Descent by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10632 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34246 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34246, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2127 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Of High Descent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Of High Descent 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 Of High Descent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
