Chapter 8 of The Music Master is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Music Master is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly. Old Cruger looked at him quizzically. "Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly. The elder Cruger shrugged his shoulders. "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
Chapter 8 of The Music Master is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading “"That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.”
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “"That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.”
a person who is older than you are
From this reading “The elder Cruger shrugged his shoulders.”
born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
From this reading “"Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “The elder Cruger shrugged his shoulders.”
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading “"That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “"I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.”
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “"Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.”
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 "Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Old Cruger looked at him quizzically.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
a person who is in charge
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Cruger looked at him quizzically.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading The elder Cruger shrugged his shoulders.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Old Cruger looked at him quizzically.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The elder Cruger shrugged his shoulders.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Old Cruger looked at him quizzically.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Old Cruger looked at him quizzically.
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.
born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
From this reading "Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.
in a quizzical and questioning manner
From this reading Old Cruger looked at him quizzically.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading The elder Cruger shrugged his shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading The elder Cruger shrugged his shoulders.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "Perhaps I've been a little premature," suggested Beverly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The elder Cruger shrugged his shoulders.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
but in spite of that
From this reading "I have not spoken to her yet," said Beverly.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading "That is the chief characteristic of American youth," he said, with a slight smile.
Chapter 8 of The Music Master by Charles Klein holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 420 sentences of The Music Master, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Music Master by Charles Klein exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Music Master by Charles Klein on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5831 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23603 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23603, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 485 minutes of reading across 1167 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Music Master section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Music Master 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 Music Master, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
