Chapter 8 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing. "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still. Up on the hill, the wind is fierce. I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it. Solid old wind, that!"
Chapter 8 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
make a strident sound
From this reading “I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.”
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading “"Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.”
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading “Up on the hill, the wind is fierce.”
having an illustrious reputation; respected
From this reading “"Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.”
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading “THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.”
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “"Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.”
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading “THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.”
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading “Solid old wind, that!"”
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.
any thing at all
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
make a strident sound
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
Strictly particular and correct.
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading Up on the hill, the wind is fierce.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
the act of departing
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Up on the hill, the wind is fierce.
having an illustrious reputation; respected
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Up on the hill, the wind is fierce.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Solid old wind, that!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Up on the hill, the wind is fierce.
on one occasion
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
on the contrary
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading Solid old wind, that!"
not in physical motion
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Solid old wind, that!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Still, honored parent! or rather, to be exact, anything but still.
two times
From this reading I had to ride round the blast once or twice, instead of going through it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Up on the hill, the wind is fierce.
the act of creating written works
From this reading THE MAIL "STILL raining, Phil?" asked Mrs. Merryweather, looking up from her writing.
Chapter 8 of The Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 211 sentences of The Merryweathers, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3055 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25505 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25505, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 611 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Merryweathers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Merryweathers 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 Merryweathers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
