Chapter 8 of Quaint Courtships is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Quaint Courtships is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said. “Good selling name.” “Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction. I admit it would be a selling name.” “Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.
Chapter 8 of Quaint Courtships is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the United States; created in 1977
From this reading ““And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.”
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading ““Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.”
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading ““Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.”
gathered for protruding fullness
From this reading ““Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.”
cut down on; make a reduction in
From this reading ““Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.”
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading ““Good selling name.””
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading ““And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.”
the quality of lacking taste and refinement
From this reading ““Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.”
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 I admit it would be a selling name.”
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading I admit it would be a selling name.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I admit it would be a selling name.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
the federal department responsible for maintaining a national energy policy of the United States; created in 1977
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading “Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good selling name.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading “Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Good selling name.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.
gathered for protruding fullness
From this reading “Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.
cut down on; make a reduction in
From this reading “Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
the exchange of goods for an agreed sum of money
From this reading “Good selling name.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
the quality of lacking taste and refinement
From this reading “Don't reduce it to the vulgarity of fiction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Go on, Wanhope,” Rulledge puffed impatiently.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I admit it would be a selling name.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And you wanted to do her as The Startled Doe,” I said.
Chapter 8 of Quaint Courtships by William Dean [Editor] Howells holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 447 sentences of Quaint Courtships, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Quaint Courtships by William Dean [Editor] Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Quaint Courtships by William Dean [Editor] Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3833 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9490 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9490, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 319 minutes of reading across 767 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Quaint Courtships section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Quaint Courtships 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 Quaint Courtships, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
