Chapter 8 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along. "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop. I'd git a job, if you was me." The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one. "I've got one for yer if yer'll take it.
Chapter 8 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “"And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.”
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “"And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.”
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading “I'd git a job, if you was me."”
in a willing manner
From this reading “The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.”
muscular and heavily built
From this reading “"It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “I'd git a job, if you was me."”
bulge outward
From this reading “"It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “"It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.”
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.
summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
In this reading “"And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.”
cooperate or pretend to cooperate
In this reading “"And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.”
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 "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
a youthful male person
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
divisible by two
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading I'd git a job, if you was me."
in a willing manner
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I've got one for yer if yer'll take it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
muscular and heavily built
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'd git a job, if you was me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got one for yer if yer'll take it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I'd git a job, if you was me."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading I'd git a job, if you was me."
and nothing more
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
not any; not one
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
bulge outward
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
carry out
From this reading "I've got one for yer if yer'll take it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
a special situation
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I'd git a job, if you was me."
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "And there's another thing," Mr. Honeybun brought up, as they went along.
during the time that
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The boy said that he would gladly have a job, but didn't know how to get one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got one for yer if yer'll take it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've got one for yer if yer'll take it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It don't seem to me no good for a husky boy like you to be just doin' nothink, even while he's waitin' for his pop.
Chapter 8 of The Happy Isles by Basil King holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Happy Isles, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Happy Isles by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Happy Isles by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9301 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61344 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61344, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1861 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Happy Isles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Happy Isles 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 Happy Isles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
