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The diary of Delia
The diary of Delia

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The diary of Delia is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The diary of Delia
Context Illustration Reading 1/6 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.
I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:
BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.
Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.
Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The diary of Delia

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The diary of Delia is here in full — 32 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/6 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.
Line 2
I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:
Line 3
BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.
Line 4
Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.
Line 5
Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

Learner Dictionary

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.

facing noun US /ˈfeɪsɪŋ/

a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening

From this reading “BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.”

John's noun US /dʒɑːnz/

possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

litters noun US /ˈlɪtərz/

plural of “litter” — the offspring at one birth of a multiparous mammal

From this reading “I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:”

loan noun US /loʊn/

the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)

From this reading “Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.”

penned verb US /pend/

inflected form of “pen” — produce a literary work

From this reading “I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:”

plane noun US /pleɪn/

an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets

From this reading “I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:”

taxed verb US /tækst/

past form of “tax” — levy a tax on

From this reading “BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.”

washed adjective US /wɑːʃt/

clean by virtue of having been washed in water

From this reading “A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

FEW DAYS adjective + noun

In this reading “A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.”

hot water adjective + noun

a dangerous or distressing predicament

In this reading “Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.”

dining-room door noun + noun

In this reading “BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.”

looks up verb + adjective counted as “look up”

seek information from

In this reading “Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

8

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

aroze

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

artiskully

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

ating

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

AwokeverbUS /əˈwoʊk/

inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

bitnounUS /bɪt/

a small piece or quantity of something

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

BRIKFUST

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

bruther

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

contrarst

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

cupnounUS /kʌp/

a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

DAYSnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

desknounUS /desk/

a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

dining-roomnoun

a room used for dining

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

dressedadjectiveUS /drest/

dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

facingnounUS /ˈfeɪsɪŋ/

a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

FEWadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

follering

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

gintle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

gintleman

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

Hes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

hotadjectiveUS /hɑːt/

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

Imtied

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

JamesnounUS /dʒeɪmz/

a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)

From this reading Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

John'snounUS /dʒɑːnz/

possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

langwidge

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

LATERadverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

littersnounUS /ˈlɪtərz/

plural of “litter” — the offspring at one birth of a multiparous mammal

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

loannounUS /loʊn/

the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

looksnounUS /lʊks/

plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

NOdeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

OANLEY

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

papernounUS /ˈpeɪpər/

a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

pennedverbUS /pend/

inflected form of “pen” — produce a literary work

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

planenounUS /pleɪn/

an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

SARVED

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

slopsnoun

wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

spaking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

taxedverbUS /tækst/

past form of “tax” — levy a tax on

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Hes a gintle spaking gintleman in contrarst to his bruther James.

tuk

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading BRIKFUST SARVED AT 8 OANLEY NO BRIKFUST SARVED LATER This I taxed artiskully upon the dining-room door—facing all eyes.

warningnounUS /ˈwɔːrnɪŋ/

a message informing of danger

From this reading I tuk a bit of paper from Mr. John’s desk, and I penned the follering warning in plane litters and langwidge:

washedadjectiveUS /wɑːʃt/

clean by virtue of having been washed in water

From this reading A FEW DAYS LATER Awoke—aroze—washed—dressed—made me bed—Imtied me slops.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading Mr. John—ating his loan cup of hot water looks up.

Chapter 8 of The diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna holds 32 sentences, grouped into 7 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.

What does chapter 8 of The diary of Delia contain?

Chapter 8 holds 32 sentences of The diary of Delia, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 32 sentences, grouped into 7 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The diary of Delia?

Work through the 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 7 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The diary of Delia

Common questions about reading The diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The diary of Delia?

Yes. All 2061 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The diary of Delia is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #61238, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The diary of Delia take to read?

About 171 minutes of reading across 413 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The diary of Delia section by section

How to work through The diary of Delia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of The diary of Delia to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The diary of Delia

Words and structures a reader meets early in The diary of Delia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Siven
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The diary of Delia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Washed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The diary of Delia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dressed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The diary of Delia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Kittle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The diary of Delia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.