Chapter 8 of The Alchemist is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Alchemist is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FACE [WITHIN]. He'll return straight. But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here. [ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.] SUB.
Chapter 8 of The Alchemist is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
informal terms for a (young) woman
From this reading “[ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.”
to come or go into
From this reading “[ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.”
capable of being influenced or formed
From this reading “[ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]”
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “He'll return straight.”
successive (without a break)
From this reading “He'll return straight.”
be a substitute
From this reading “SUB.”
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 introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading [ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]
informal terms for a (young) woman
From this reading [ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.
to come or go into
From this reading [ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading FACE [WITHIN].
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading [ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He'll return straight.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]
a commissioned military officer
From this reading But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading But master doctor, his lieutenant, is here.
capable of being influenced or formed
From this reading [ENTER KASTRIL, FOLLOWED BY DAME PLIANT.]
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He'll return straight.
successive (without a break)
From this reading He'll return straight.
be a substitute
From this reading SUB.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading FACE [WITHIN].
Chapter 8 of The Alchemist by Ben Jonson holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 390 sentences of The Alchemist, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Alchemist by Ben Jonson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 The Alchemist by Ben Jonson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5119 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4081 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4081, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 426 minutes of reading across 1024 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Alchemist section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Alchemist 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 The Alchemist, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
