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The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure
The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure is here in full — 737 sentences across 148 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure
Context Illustration Reading 1/147 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
DEALING WITH ELSIE I.
The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.
Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.
"The Azure Society, you know!"
Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure is here in full — 737 sentences across 148 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/147 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
DEALING WITH ELSIE I.
Line 2
The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.
Line 3
Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.
Line 4
"The Azure Society, you know!"
/ðə ˈæʒər səˈsaɪəti juː noʊ/
Line 5
Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.
/ˈedwərd ˈhenri ˈædəd wen hiː hæd ˈɡɪvən ðə ɪɡˈzækt ˈædres tuː ðə ʃoʊˈfɜːr ʌv ðə ˈtæksi/

Learner Dictionary

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.

arid adjective US /ˈærəd/

lacking sufficient water or rainfall

From this reading “Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.”

Azure noun US /ˈæʒər/

a light shade of blue

From this reading “The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.”

chauffeur noun US /ʃoʊˈfɜːr/

a man paid to drive a privately owned car

From this reading “Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.”

dealing noun US /ˈdiːlɪŋ/

method or manner of conduct in relation to others

From this reading “DEALING WITH ELSIE I.”

inhabit verb US /ˌɪnˈhæbət/

be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading “Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.”

situate verb US /ˈsɪtʃuːeɪt/

determine or indicate the place, site, or limits of, as if by an instrument or by a survey

From this reading “The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.”

taxi verb US /ˈtæksi/

travel slowly

From this reading “Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.”

thoroughfare noun US /ˈθɜːroʊfer/

a public road from one place to another

From this reading “Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

other reason adjective + noun

In this reading “The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.”

long way adjective + noun

In this reading “Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

addressverbUS /ˈædres/

speak to

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

aridadjectiveUS /ˈærəd/

lacking sufficient water or rainfall

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

AzurenounUS /ˈæʒər/

a light shade of blue

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

centrenounUS /ˈsentər/

a low-lying region in central France

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

chauffeurnounUS /ʃoʊˈfɜːr/

a man paid to drive a privately owned car

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

DEALINGnounUS /ˈdiːlɪŋ/

method or manner of conduct in relation to others

From this reading DEALING WITH ELSIE I.

EdwardnounUS /ˈedwərd/

King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

ELSIE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading DEALING WITH ELSIE I.

exactadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzækt/

Strictly particular and correct.

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

famousadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪməs/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

fashionableadjectiveUS /ˈfæʃənəbəl/

being or in accordance with current social fashions

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

headquartersnounUS /ˈhedkwɔːrtərz/

(usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

HenrynounUS /ˈhenri/

a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading DEALING WITH ELSIE I.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

inhabitverbUS /ˌɪnˈhæbət/

be an inhabitant of or reside in

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "The Azure Society, you know!"

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

Marloes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

reasonnounUS /ˈriːzən/

a rational motive for a belief or action

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

RoadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

situateverbUS /ˈsɪtʃuːeɪt/

determine or indicate the place, site, or limits of, as if by an instrument or by a survey

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

SocietynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/

an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

taxiverbUS /ˈtæksi/

travel slowly

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

thoroughfarenounUS /ˈθɜːroʊfer/

a public road from one place to another

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

ThoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

universenounUS /ˈjuːnəvɜːrs/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The headquarters of the Azure Society were situate in Marloes Road, for no other reason than that it happened so.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Edward Henry added when he had given the exact address to the chauffeur of the taxi.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Though certain famous people inhabit Marloes Road, no street could well be less fashionable than this thoroughfare, which is very arid and very long, and a very long way off the centre of the universe.

WITHprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading DEALING WITH ELSIE I.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "The Azure Society, you know!"

Chapter 8 of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure by Arnold Bennett holds 737 sentences, grouped into 148 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure contain?

Chapter 8 holds 737 sentences of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure, unabridged, divided into 148 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure by Arnold Bennett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 737 sentences, grouped into 148 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure?

Work through the 148 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 148 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure

Common questions about reading The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure by Arnold Bennett on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure?

Yes. All 6446 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40168 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40168, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure take to read?

About 537 minutes of reading across 1290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure section by section

How to work through The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wives
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Twenty-four
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hours
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.