Chapter 8 of Purple Springs is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Purple Springs is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions. His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything. Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best. It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions. But something held him back.
Chapter 8 of Purple Springs is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
-ing form of “battle” — battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
From this reading “THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.”
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading “THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.”
be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading “It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.”
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.”
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.”
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading “THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.”
plural of “intention” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.”
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading “THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.”
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 Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best.
quickly and without warning
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
-ing form of “battle” — battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But something held him back.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best.
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
set up or found
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading But something held him back.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
an instinctive motive
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
plural of “intention” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
and nothing more
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best.
a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading But something held him back.
express in words
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was not fair to deceive her, and that was just what he had done, with the best intentions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His first impulse was to call her back--tell her everything.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best.
at the time that
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE DOCTOR'S DECISION When Pearl left him so abruptly, Dr. Clay found himself battling with many emotions.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Pearl was not a child--she would know what was best.
Chapter 8 of Purple Springs by Nellie L. McClung holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 139 sentences of Purple Springs, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Purple Springs by Nellie L. McClung exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Purple Springs by Nellie L. McClung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10221 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10221, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Purple Springs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Purple Springs 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 Purple Springs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
