Chapter 8 of The Ne'er-Do-Well is here in full — 416 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 Ne'er-Do-Well is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm going to work." "Good! Good!" She clapped her hands gleefully. "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
Chapter 8 of The Ne'er-Do-Well is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading “She clapped her hands gleefully.”
a man of refinement
From this reading “"Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.”
in a joyous and gleeful manner
From this reading “She clapped her hands gleefully.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “"Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.”
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “"Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “"Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “"I'm going to work."”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “"Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
inflected form of “clap” — put quickly or forcibly
From this reading She clapped her hands gleefully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
a man of refinement
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
in a joyous and gleeful manner
From this reading She clapped her hands gleefully.
the act of departing
From this reading "I'm going to work."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good!
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading She clapped her hands gleefully.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She clapped her hands gleefully.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm going to work."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
not any; not one
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She clapped her hands gleefully.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'm going to work."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "I'm going to work."
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "Oh, I don't WANT to," he protested, "but the old gentleman thinks I'm no good, and I'd like to show him he's wrong.
Chapter 8 of The Ne'er-Do-Well by Rex Beach holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 416 sentences of The Ne'er-Do-Well, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Ne'er-Do-Well by Rex Beach exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 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 Ne'er-Do-Well by Rex Beach on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9399 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5405 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5405, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1880 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ne'er-Do-Well section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Ne'er-Do-Well 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 Ne'er-Do-Well, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
