Chapter 8 of Penny Plain is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Penny Plain is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad." THOMAS RANDOLPH, 1605-35. A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother. It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
Chapter 8 of Penny Plain is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 sum of money allocated for a particular purpose
From this reading “It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.”
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “"I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."”
an old form of “does”
From this reading “"I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."”
plural of “mail” — the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading “It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.”
characterized by extravagance and profusion
From this reading “"I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."”
a variable color that is vivid red but sometimes with an orange tinge
From this reading “"I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."”
the quality of being simple or uncompounded
From this reading “"I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."”
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading “It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THOMAS RANDOLPH, 1605-35.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THOMAS RANDOLPH, 1605-35.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother.
later than; following
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother.
a sum of money allocated for a particular purpose
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
an old form of “does”
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother.
inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
plural of “mail” — the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother.
characterized by extravagance and profusion
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THOMAS RANDOLPH, 1605-35.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother.
a variable color that is vivid red but sometimes with an orange tinge
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
the quality of being simple or uncompounded
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading THOMAS RANDOLPH, 1605-35.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A letter from Pamela Reston to her brother.
interact in a certain way
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
in or at the place that
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I will the country see Where old simplicity, Though hid in grey, Doth look more gay Than foppery in plush and scarlet clad."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It was a tremendous treat to get your budget this morning after three mails of silence.
Chapter 8 of Penny Plain by O. Douglas holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 122 sentences of Penny Plain, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Penny Plain by O. Douglas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Penny Plain by O. Douglas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5869 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12768 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12768, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 489 minutes of reading across 1174 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Penny Plain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Penny Plain 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 Penny Plain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
