Chapter 8 of Proud Lady is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Proud Lady is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Presently he came into the nursery, and she said: "I really think I can't keep Nora. I can't have scenes like this." "No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning. "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
Chapter 8 of Proud Lady is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 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.
power to direct or determine
From this reading “"I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."”
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading “"No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “"I really think I can't keep Nora.”
a child's room for a baby
From this reading “Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:”
in the near future
From this reading “Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “"I really think I can't keep Nora.”
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
From this reading “I can't have scenes like this."”
express in speech
From this reading “"I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."”
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 “Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:”
obtain, especially accidentally
In this reading “Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I really think I can't keep Nora.
power to direct or determine
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading "No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I can't have scenes like this."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I really think I can't keep Nora.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "I really think I can't keep Nora.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I can't have scenes like this."
not any; not one
From this reading "No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I really think I can't keep Nora.
a child's room for a baby
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
in the near future
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "I really think I can't keep Nora.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
From this reading I can't have scenes like this."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning.
express in speech
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Presently he came into the nursery, and she said:
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I really think I can't keep Nora.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I can't have scenes like this."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "No, I've told her so," said Laurence, frowning.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I've told her that she can't speak to you like that, and that if she can't control herself she'll have to go."
Chapter 8 of Proud Lady by Neith Boyce holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Proud Lady, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Proud Lady by Neith Boyce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Proud Lady by Neith Boyce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5923 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62478 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #62478, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Proud Lady section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Proud Lady 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 Proud Lady, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
