Chapter 8 of Old Mole is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Old Mole is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said: "You know, the old place has always wanted this." "Wanted--what?" asked Matilda. "I think it's perfect." "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
Chapter 8 of Old Mole is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “"A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.”
pleasing or delighting
From this reading “"A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.”
marked by complexity and richness of detail
From this reading “"A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.”
a woman host
From this reading “"A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.”
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading “"I think it's perfect."”
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading “They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:”
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading “They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:”
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 “"You know, the old place has always wanted this."”
In this reading “"You know, the old place has always wanted 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 They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "You know, the old place has always wanted this."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Wanted--what?" asked Matilda.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
pleasing or delighting
From this reading "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
elegance suggestive of a royal court
From this reading "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
one or the other of two
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
marked by complexity and richness of detail
From this reading "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "You know, the old place has always wanted this."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
a woman host
From this reading "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think it's perfect."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I think it's perfect."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "You know, the old place has always wanted this."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Wanted--what?" asked Matilda.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "You know, the old place has always wanted this."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading "I think it's perfect."
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "You know, the old place has always wanted this."
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
be seated
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think it's perfect."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "You know, the old place has always wanted this."
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "You know, the old place has always wanted this."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Wanted--what?" asked Matilda.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading They made her sit at the head of the table and placed themselves on either side of her, and, as Robert poured her out a glass of wine (Berncastler Doktor), he said:
in the company of; together with
From this reading "A charming hostess," said Robert, with an elaborate little bow of courtliness.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You know, the old place has always wanted this."
Chapter 8 of Old Mole by Gilbert Cannan holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of Old Mole, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Old Mole by Gilbert Cannan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Old Mole by Gilbert Cannan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5295 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43423 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43423, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1059 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Mole section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Old Mole 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 Old Mole, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
