Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Pierre
Pierre

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of Pierre is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Pierre
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.
THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.
I.
His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.
As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Pierre

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of Pierre is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.
Line 2
THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.
/ðer ˌɪˈmiːdiːət ˌɪmˈpʌlsɪv ɪˈfekt əˈpɑːn piˈer/
Line 3
I.
/aɪ/
Line 4
His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.
Line 5
As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

Learner Dictionary

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.

affecting adjective US /əˈfektɪŋ/

arousing affect

From this reading “His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.”

embarrassing adjective US /ɪmˈberəsɪŋ/

hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment

From this reading “His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.”

immediate adjective US /ˌɪˈmiːdiːət/

of the present time and place

From this reading “THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.”

impulsive adjective US /ˌɪmˈpʌlsɪv/

proceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external stimulus

From this reading “THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.”

interview verb US /ˈɪntərvjuː/

conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting

From this reading “THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.”

mystical adjective US /ˈmɪstɪkəl/

relating to or characteristic of mysticism

From this reading “His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.”

pierre noun US /piˈer/

capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river

From this reading “THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.”

satisfying adjective US /ˈsætɪsfaɪɪŋ/

providing abundant nourishment

From this reading “His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

interview with verb + particle

In this reading “His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.”

far more adverb + adjective

In this reading “His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.”

SECOND PART noun + noun

In this reading “THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

addressedadjectiveUS /əˈdrest/

(of mail) marked with a destination

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

admittedverbUS /ədˈmɪtɪd/

inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

affectingadjectiveUS /əˈfektɪŋ/

arousing affect

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

beginningnounUS /bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/

the event consisting of the start of something

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

casementnoun

a window sash that is hinged (usually on one side)

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

doubleverbUS /ˈdʌbəl/

increase twofold

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

EFFECTnounUS /ɪˈfekt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.

embarrassingadjectiveUS /ɪmˈberəsɪŋ/

hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

FARM-HOUSE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I.

IMMEDIATEadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmiːdiːət/

of the present time and place

From this reading THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.

IMPULSIVEadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpʌlsɪv/

proceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external stimulus

From this reading THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

INTERVIEWverbUS /ˈɪntərvjuː/

conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

ISABEL

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

mysticaladjectiveUS /ˈmɪstɪkəl/

relating to or characteristic of mysticism

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

PARTnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

PIERREnounUS /piˈer/

capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river

From this reading THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

satisfyingadjectiveUS /ˈsætɪsfaɪɪŋ/

providing abundant nourishment

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

seatedadjectiveUS /ˈsiːtɪd/

(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

SECONDnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

STORYnounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE SECOND INTERVIEW AT THE FARM-HOUSE, AND THE SECOND PART OF THE STORY OF ISABEL.

THEIRdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

UPONprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading THEIR IMMEDIATE IMPULSIVE EFFECT UPON PIERRE.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading His second interview with Isabel was more satisfying, but none the less affecting and mystical than the first, though in the beginning, to his no small surprise, it was far more strange and embarrassing.

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading As before, Isabel herself admitted him into the farm-house, and spoke no word to him till they were both seated in the room of the double casement, and himself had first addressed her.

Chapter 8 of Pierre by Herman Melville holds 402 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.

What does chapter 8 of Pierre contain?

Chapter 8 holds 402 sentences of Pierre, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Pierre by Herman Melville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of Pierre?

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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Pierre

Common questions about reading Pierre by Herman Melville on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Pierre?

Yes. All 6047 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34970 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Pierre is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #34970, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Pierre take to read?

About 503 minutes of reading across 1210 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Pierre section by section

How to work through Pierre section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 26 chapters of Pierre to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Pierre

Words and structures a reader meets early in Pierre, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Pierre
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Pierre; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ambiguities
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Pierre; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Herman
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Pierre; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Melville
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Pierre; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.