Chapter 8 of Poor Miss Finch is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Poor Miss Finch is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly. His composure staggered me. "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?" I inquired. "A little more than a week."
Chapter 8 of Poor Miss Finch is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading “His composure staggered me.”
freed from illness or injury
From this reading “"I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.”
administer a drug to
From this reading “"How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"”
provoking horror
From this reading “"How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “I inquired.”
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading “"I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.”
with low volume
From this reading “"I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.”
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “His composure staggered me.”
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 "A little more than a week."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading His composure staggered me.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
administer a drug to
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His composure staggered me.
provoking horror
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading I inquired.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "A little more than a week."
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His composure staggered me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "A little more than a week."
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
with low volume
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading His composure staggered me.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "A little more than a week."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I know the price I pay for being cured," he answered quietly.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "A little more than a week."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How long have you been taking this horrible drug?"
Chapter 8 of Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of Poor Miss Finch, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11370 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3632 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3632, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2274 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poor Miss Finch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Poor Miss Finch 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 Poor Miss Finch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
