Chapter 8 of The Fairchilds is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Fairchilds is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS. "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately." "What now?" asked Eben, not very good-naturedly. "What now? Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.
Chapter 8 of The Fairchilds is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “"SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."”
in a good-natured manner
From this reading “"What now?" asked Eben, not very good-naturedly.”
in the recent past
From this reading “"SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."”
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading “EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.”
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “"SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."”
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.”
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.”
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.
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 the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What now?" asked Eben, not very good-naturedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."
in a good-natured manner
From this reading "What now?" asked Eben, not very good-naturedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."
in the recent past
From this reading "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."
United States poet (1869-1950)
From this reading EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "What now?" asked Eben, not very good-naturedly.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "What now?" asked Eben, not very good-naturedly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.
plural of “try” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading EBEN TRIES TO SERVE TWO MASTERS.
precisely as stated
From this reading "What now?" asked Eben, not very good-naturedly.
(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 Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What now?" asked Eben, not very good-naturedly.
the day immediately before today
From this reading Well, not so much now as yesterday," replied Jeduthun.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "SEEMS to me, Eben, you're getting kind of scatter-brained lately."
Chapter 8 of The Fairchilds by Lucy Ellen Guernsey holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 160 sentences of The Fairchilds, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Fairchilds by Lucy Ellen Guernsey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Fairchilds by Lucy Ellen Guernsey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fairchilds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Fairchilds 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 Fairchilds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
