Chapter 8 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GILBERT GETS A PLACE. The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table. Randolph was ten minutes late. He came in looking sleepy and cross. “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
Chapter 8 of Shifting For Himself is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
travel across or pass over
From this reading “He came in looking sleepy and cross.”
being one more than seven
From this reading “The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.”
brought together in one place
From this reading “The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.”
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “GILBERT GETS A PLACE.”
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “GILBERT GETS A PLACE.”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading “Randolph was ten minutes late.”
according to the clock
ready to fall asleep
From this reading “He came in looking sleepy and cross.”
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 “Randolph was ten minutes late.”
In this reading “The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.”
In this reading ““Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?””
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 GILBERT GETS A PLACE.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He came in looking sleepy and cross.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He came in looking sleepy and cross.
travel across or pass over
From this reading He came in looking sleepy and cross.
being one more than seven
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
a social unit living together
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
brought together in one place
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading GILBERT GETS A PLACE.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading GILBERT GETS A PLACE.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He came in looking sleepy and cross.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He came in looking sleepy and cross.
immediately past
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Randolph was ten minutes late.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He came in looking sleepy and cross.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Randolph was ten minutes late.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
according to the clock
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading GILBERT GETS A PLACE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Randolph was ten minutes late.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
ready to fall asleep
From this reading He came in looking sleepy and cross.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Randolph was ten minutes late.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Randolph was ten minutes late.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The next morning, about eight o’clock, the family were gathered about the breakfast-table.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Randolph,” said his father, “what made you so late last evening?”
Chapter 8 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 123 sentences of Shifting For Himself, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Shifting For Himself by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4606 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55598 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55598, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 383 minutes of reading across 922 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shifting For Himself section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Shifting For Himself 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 Shifting For Himself, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
