Chapter 8 of The Lady Paramount is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Lady Paramount is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her. "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?" He frowned his incomprehension. "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered. He shook his head, mournfully, scornfully.
Chapter 8 of The Lady Paramount is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “"Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.”
a state at a particular time
From this reading “"Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"”
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “"Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “He frowned his incomprehension.”
compel to behave in a certain way
a general conscious awareness
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “He shook his head, mournfully, scornfully.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “"Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.”
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 "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
for the reason that
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
a state at a particular time
From this reading "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading He frowned his incomprehension.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He shook his head, mournfully, scornfully.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He frowned his incomprehension.
compel to behave in a certain way
From this reading "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
an inability to understand
From this reading He frowned his incomprehension.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
in a mournful manner
From this reading He shook his head, mournfully, scornfully.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading He shook his head, mournfully, scornfully.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading He shook his head, mournfully, scornfully.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But what's the _sense_ of it?" he besought her.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why on earth should you _impose_ such a condition?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Because you have asked me to be your wife," she answered.
Chapter 8 of The Lady Paramount by Henry Harland holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of The Lady Paramount, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Lady Paramount by Henry Harland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Lady Paramount by Henry Harland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4000 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19861 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19861, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 333 minutes of reading across 800 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lady Paramount section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Lady Paramount 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 Lady Paramount, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
