Chapter 8 of The Best American Humorous Short Stories is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Best American Humorous Short Stories is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.” “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!” Podington laughed. “He would not mind it in the least,” said he. “Come, come now,” cried Buller.
Chapter 8 of The Best American Humorous Short Stories is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading ““Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.””
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading ““But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!””
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading ““But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!””
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “Podington laughed.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading ““He would not mind it in the least,” said he.”
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading ““But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!””
be standing; be upright
From this reading ““But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!””
plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive
From this reading ““Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.””
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 “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come, come now,” cried Buller.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Come, come now,” cried Buller.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
and nothing more
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Podington laughed.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “He would not mind it in the least,” said he.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
not any; not one
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “He would not mind it in the least,” said he.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
be standing; be upright
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
plural of “train” — public transport provided by a line of railway cars coupled together and drawn by a locomotive
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Do?” said Podington; “he’ll do what he is doing now; he doesn’t mind trains.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But look here, William,” exclaimed Buller, “it will get there just as we do; no horse could stand a roaring up in the air like that!”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “He would not mind it in the least,” said he.
Chapter 8 of The Best American Humorous Short Stories by Alexander[Editor] Jessup holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Best American Humorous Short Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Best American Humorous Short Stories by Alexander[Editor] Jessup exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Best American Humorous Short Stories by Alexander[Editor] Jessup on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5455 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10947 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10947, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 454 minutes of reading across 1091 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Best American Humorous Short Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Best American Humorous 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 Best American Humorous Short Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
