Chapter 8 of The Minister's Charge is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Minister's Charge is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The minister fetched a deep sigh. “Yes, I know it. But she will have to know it sooner or later.” He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room. “Has Lemuel been here?” she asked.
Chapter 8 of The Minister's Charge is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading “The minister fetched a deep sigh.”
past form of “fetch” — go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading “The minister fetched a deep sigh.”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “But she will have to know it sooner or later.””
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “The minister fetched a deep sigh.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “The minister fetched a deep sigh.”
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading “But she will have to know it sooner or later.””
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading “He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.”
mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
From this reading “He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.”
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 The minister fetched a deep sigh.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Has Lemuel been here?” she asked.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Has Lemuel been here?” she asked.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she will have to know it sooner or later.”
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading The minister fetched a deep sigh.
past form of “fetch” — go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading The minister fetched a deep sigh.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Has Lemuel been here?” she asked.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But she will have to know it sooner or later.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Has Lemuel been here?” she asked.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Yes, I know it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, I know it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Yes, I know it.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading But she will have to know it sooner or later.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Has Lemuel been here?” she asked.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading The minister fetched a deep sigh.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But she will have to know it sooner or later.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But she will have to know it sooner or later.”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The minister fetched a deep sigh.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading But she will have to know it sooner or later.”
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The minister fetched a deep sigh.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But she will have to know it sooner or later.”
mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went to the stairway and called her name, and then returned to Miss Vane in the reception-room.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading But she will have to know it sooner or later.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, I know it.
Chapter 8 of The Minister's Charge by William Dean Howells holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 393 sentences of The Minister's Charge, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Minister's Charge by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Minister's Charge by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6418 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7410 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7410, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 534 minutes of reading across 1284 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Minister's Charge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Minister's Charge 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 Minister's Charge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
