Chapter 8 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VIDA. But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come. [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here. [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW. [_With a helpless gesture._] But, my dear child-- THOMAS.
Chapter 8 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “[THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.”
on or to one side
a young person of either sex
From this reading “[_With a helpless gesture._] But, my dear child-- THOMAS.”
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading “[_With a helpless gesture._] But, my dear child-- THOMAS.”
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading “[_With a helpless gesture._] But, my dear child-- THOMAS.”
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading “But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.”
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading “[_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.”
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading “[THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.”
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 [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.
anew
From this reading [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.
on or to one side
From this reading [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.
a young person of either sex
From this reading [_With a helpless gesture._] But, my dear child-- THOMAS.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.
dearly loved
From this reading But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading [_With a helpless gesture._] But, my dear child-- THOMAS.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading [_With a helpless gesture._] But, my dear child-- THOMAS.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.
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 [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading [_Aside to him._] I have a reason for being here.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But, my dear Matthew,--I had to come.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VIDA.
which person or people
From this reading [THOMAS, _who has left the room, again appears._ MATTHEW.
in the company of; together with
From this reading [_With a helpless gesture._] But, my dear child-- THOMAS.
Chapter 8 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists by Langdon Elwyn Mitchell holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of Representative Plays by American Dramatists, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Representative Plays by American Dramatists by Langdon Elwyn Mitchell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Representative Plays by American Dramatists by Langdon Elwyn Mitchell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3868 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25565 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25565, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 322 minutes of reading across 774 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Representative Plays by American Dramatists section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Representative Plays by American Dramatists 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 Representative Plays by American Dramatists, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
