Chapter 8 of The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming. “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?” “I’m not making any fuss over it. But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.” The fish was scorched.
Chapter 8 of The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading “The fish was scorched.”
-ing form of “fume” — be mad, angry, or furious
From this reading ““Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.”
worry unnecessarily or excessively
From this reading ““Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?””
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading ““Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.”
Burned by flames or heat; blackened by intense magical or physical fire.
From this reading “The fish was scorched.”
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading “But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.””
in a serious manner
From this reading ““Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?””
plural of “trifle” — a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.””
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 “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “I’m not making any fuss over it.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
determine the number or amount of
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading The fish was scorched.
-ing form of “fume” — be mad, angry, or furious
From this reading “Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.
worry unnecessarily or excessively
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m not making any fuss over it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
and nothing more
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I’m not making any fuss over it.
above and across; more than
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
Burned by flames or heat; blackened by intense magical or physical fire.
From this reading The fish was scorched.
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
in a serious manner
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
carry out
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
a special situation
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
plural of “trifle” — a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fish was scorched.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it’s just such seeming trifles that we’ve got to take seriously; such things count.”
which person or people
From this reading “Mercy!” exclaimed Edna, who had been fuming.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why are you taking the thing so seriously and making such a fuss over it?”
Chapter 8 of The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 196 sentences of The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4176 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #160 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #160, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 348 minutes of reading across 836 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories 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 Awakening, and Selected Short Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
