Chapter 8 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly. 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle. Men are queer--I mean husbands. You can't argue with them. You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
Chapter 8 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading “'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.”
present reasons and arguments
From this reading “You can't argue with them.”
-ing form of “chase” — go after with the intent to catch
From this reading “'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.”
plural of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “Men are queer--I mean husbands.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Men are queer--I mean husbands.”
in a prissy manner
From this reading “'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Men are queer--I mean husbands.”
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading “'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.”
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 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
later than; following
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
(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 You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Men are queer--I mean husbands.
present reasons and arguments
From this reading You can't argue with them.
a broom made of twigs tied together on a long handle
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can't argue with them.
-ing form of “chase” — go after with the intent to catch
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
dearly loved
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
plural of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading Men are queer--I mean husbands.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Men are queer--I mean husbands.
the force of workers available
From this reading Men are queer--I mean husbands.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
in a prissy manner
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Men are queer--I mean husbands.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
precisely, exactly
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
express in words
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading You can't argue with them.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'I don't see Harold chasing me across Bursley with a besom,' said Maud primly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'But what you say is quite right, you dear old uncle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You'd much better give in--' 'And have your own way after all.'
Chapter 8 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Grim Smile of the Five Towns by Arnold Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4736 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4734 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4734, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 948 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Grim Smile of the Five Towns section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Grim Smile of the Five Towns 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 Grim Smile of the Five Towns, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
