Chapter 8 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave. “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly. “Couldn’t you, mother? It would do you good too.” “But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.
Chapter 8 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
a special loved one
From this reading ““But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading ““I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.”
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading “PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.”
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.”
in the near future
From this reading “PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.”
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading ““I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading ““I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.”
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.
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading ““But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.”
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 PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
(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 “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Couldn’t you, mother?
a special loved one
From this reading “But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It would do you good too.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading It would do you good too.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
and nothing more
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
go away from a place
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.
and nothing more
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
in the near future
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
not in physical motion
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “But, darling, think of poor Priscilla.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It would do you good too.”
precisely as stated
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
during the time that
From this reading PISKIES STILL LIVE AT PORTHCALLIS Presently though, just for a time another shadow fell, for it seemed only a very, very little while before it was time for her mother to leave.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would do you good too.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I _wish_ you could stay all the time, mother,” she whispered eagerly.
Chapter 8 of The Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 140 sentences of The Mean-Wells, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64258 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64258, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 177 minutes of reading across 427 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mean-Wells section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Mean-Wells 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 Mean-Wells, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
