Chapter 8 of The Bobbin Boy is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Bobbin Boy is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE NEW CALL. Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by. Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before. But it found him ready. He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
Chapter 8 of The Bobbin Boy is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.”
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading “Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.”
with speed
From this reading “Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.”
only a very short time before
From this reading “Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.”
an educational institution
From this reading “He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.”
from appearances alone
From this reading “Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.”
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading “Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.”
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it found him ready.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading THE NEW CALL.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
at any time
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
set up or found
From this reading But it found him ready.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it found him ready.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading THE NEW CALL.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
with speed
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading But it found him ready.
only a very short time before
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
an educational institution
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
from appearances alone
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NEW CALL.
a special situation
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
being six more than thirty
From this reading Thirty-six hours scarcely ever passed away so rapidly to him before.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Monday morning came to Nat, seemingly, before Sunday had time to get by.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
which person or people
From this reading He was one of the few boys who are always on hand, whether it was for school, or any thing else.
Chapter 8 of The Bobbin Boy by William Makepeace Thayer holds 296 sentences, grouped into 60 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 296 sentences of The Bobbin Boy, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Bobbin Boy by William Makepeace Thayer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 296 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 Bobbin Boy by William Makepeace Thayer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3607 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19875 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19875, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 300 minutes of reading across 722 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bobbin Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Bobbin Boy 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 Bobbin Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
