Chapter 8 of The Duke of Stockbridge is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Duke of Stockbridge is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself. “They wuz gonter lick us. They'd a had us licked by this time. It's tit for tat.” “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
Chapter 8 of The Duke of Stockbridge is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading ““I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.”
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading ““Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.”
beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight
From this reading ““They wuz gonter lick us.”
having been got the better of
From this reading “They'd a had us licked by this time.”
the branch of philosophy that analyzes inference
From this reading ““Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.”
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading ““I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.”
make lacework by knotting or looping
From this reading “It's tit for tat.””
either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman
From this reading “It's tit for tat.””
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 They'd a had us licked by this time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
(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 “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They'd a had us licked by this time.
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It's tit for tat.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They wuz gonter lick us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They'd a had us licked by this time.
with hesitation; in a hesitant manner
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's tit for tat.”
beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight
From this reading “They wuz gonter lick us.
having been got the better of
From this reading They'd a had us licked by this time.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
the branch of philosophy that analyzes inference
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
make lacework by knotting or looping
From this reading It's tit for tat.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They wuz gonter lick us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They'd a had us licked by this time.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading They'd a had us licked by this time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They'd a had us licked by this time.
either of two soft fleshy milk-secreting glandular organs on the chest of a woman
From this reading It's tit for tat.”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “They wuz gonter lick us.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “I s'pose Goramity made our backs as well as theirn,” observed Abner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They wuz gonter lick us.
a state in the western United States; mountainous in the west and north with the Great Plains in the east
From this reading “Wy not, arter all?” said Meshech Little, hesitatingly, as if his logic didn't convince himself.
Chapter 8 of The Duke of Stockbridge by Edward Bellamy holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 419 sentences of The Duke of Stockbridge, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Duke of Stockbridge by Edward Bellamy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Duke of Stockbridge by Edward Bellamy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5081 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7472 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7472, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 423 minutes of reading across 1017 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Duke of Stockbridge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Duke of Stockbridge 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 Duke of Stockbridge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
