Chapter 8 of The Beautiful Wretch is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Beautiful Wretch is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SERENATA. Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news. He started somewhat. 'No, oh no,' he said. 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
Chapter 8 of The Beautiful Wretch is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading “Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.”
in a good-natured manner
From this reading “Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.”
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading “Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.”
your grandmother
From this reading “Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.”
being perceived or observed
From this reading “Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.”
deeply absorbed in thought
From this reading “Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'”
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.
in addition
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
divisible by two
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
in a good-natured manner
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
to such an extent or degree; so
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
immediately past
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
your grandmother
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
absolutely essential
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
information about recent and important events
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
not any; not one
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
being perceived or observed
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading 'No, oh no,' he said.
and nothing more
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
deeply absorbed in thought
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'No, oh no,' he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SERENATA.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading He started somewhat.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He started somewhat.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SERENATA.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Only the telegram I got last night makes it necessary for me to start for home to-morrow.'
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Next morning also he was preoccupied and anxious, insomuch that even Nan noticed it, and good-naturedly hoped he had had no bad news.
Chapter 8 of The Beautiful Wretch by William Black holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 151 sentences of The Beautiful Wretch, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Beautiful Wretch by William Black exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Beautiful Wretch by William Black on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4890 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24094 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24094, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 407 minutes of reading across 978 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Beautiful Wretch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Beautiful Wretch 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 Beautiful Wretch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
