Chapter 8 of The Eternal Boy is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Eternal Boy is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception. He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus." "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment." "Chesterton, where have you been?" "Old man, have you got anything to do?"
Chapter 8 of The Eternal Boy is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.”
(Greek mythology) Greek god of light; god of prophecy and poetry and music and healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis
From this reading “He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus."”
conservative English writer of the Roman Catholic persuasion; in addition to volumes of criticism and polemics he wrote detective novels featuring Father Brown (1874-1936)
From this reading “"Chesterton, where have you been?"”
past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading “When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.”
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.”
the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading “When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.”
the quality of being spontaneous and coming from natural feelings without constraint
From this reading “When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.”
the second nearest planet to the sun
From this reading “He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus."”
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.
in a lengthy or prolix manner
In this reading “When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “"Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."”
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 "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
any thing at all
From this reading "Old man, have you got anything to do?"
(Greek mythology) Greek god of light; god of prophecy and poetry and music and healing; son of Zeus and Leto; twin brother of Artemis
From this reading He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Chesterton, where have you been?"
conservative English writer of the Roman Catholic persuasion; in addition to volumes of criticism and polemics he wrote detective novels featuring Father Brown (1874-1936)
From this reading "Chesterton, where have you been?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Old man, have you got anything to do?"
past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Old man, have you got anything to do?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Chesterton, where have you been?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
for more time
From this reading He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
a particular point in time
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
not any; not one
From this reading He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus."
the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
the quality of being spontaneous and coming from natural feelings without constraint
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
the second nearest planet to the sun
From this reading He was no longer "Beauty" or "Apollo" or "Venus."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
at the time that
From this reading When Sawtelle emerged at length from the study-room, he was amazed at the spontaneity of his reception.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Chesterton, where have you been?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Sawtelle, old man," they said to him, "I want to see you a moment."
Chapter 8 of The Eternal Boy by Owen Johnson holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of The Eternal Boy, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Eternal Boy by Owen Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Eternal Boy by Owen Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4065 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46892 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46892, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 338 minutes of reading across 813 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eternal Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Eternal 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 Eternal Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
