Chapter 8 of The Flirt is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Flirt is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"`The Funeral March of a Marionette!'" "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist." "Fatalism? That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely. "If I am not a puppet then I am a god.
Chapter 8 of The Flirt is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
-ing form of “announce” — make known; make an announcement
From this reading “"I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."”
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading “"I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."”
a submissive mental attitude resulting from acceptance of the doctrine that everything that happens is predetermined and inevitable
From this reading “"Fatalism?”
anyone who submits to the belief that they are powerless to change their destiny
From this reading “"I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."”
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading “"`The Funeral March of a Marionette!'"”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.”
a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
From this reading “"If I am not a puppet then I am a god.”
plural of “vila” — capital of Vanuatu
From this reading “That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.”
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 "`The Funeral March of a Marionette!'"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "If I am not a puppet then I am a god.
-ing form of “announce” — make known; make an announcement
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
made known or openly avowed
From this reading That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.
a submissive mental attitude resulting from acceptance of the doctrine that everything that happens is predetermined and inevitable
From this reading "Fatalism?
anyone who submits to the belief that they are powerless to change their destiny
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
From this reading "`The Funeral March of a Marionette!'"
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "If I am not a puppet then I am a god.
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If I am not a puppet then I am a god.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.
march in a procession
From this reading "`The Funeral March of a Marionette!'"
a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
From this reading "`The Funeral March of a Marionette!'"
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
a form of address for a man
From this reading That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "If I am not a puppet then I am a god.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "`The Funeral March of a Marionette!'"
and nothing more
From this reading That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.
a small figure of a person operated from above with strings by a puppeteer
From this reading "If I am not a puppet then I am a god.
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "`The Funeral March of a Marionette!'"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "If I am not a puppet then I am a god.
plural of “vila” — capital of Vanuatu
From this reading That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading That is only a word," declared Mr. Vilas gravely.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I suppose you mean that for a cheerful way of announcing that you are a fatalist."
Chapter 8 of The Flirt by Booth Tarkington holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 177 sentences of The Flirt, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Flirt by Booth Tarkington exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Flirt by Booth Tarkington on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4860 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #297 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #297, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 972 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Flirt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Flirt 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 Flirt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
