Chapter 8 of The painted room is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The painted room is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age? It's exactly the age he would think about it! I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this. I wish she would marry him. But you went and told her to, Bob.
Chapter 8 of The painted room is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
how long something has existed
From this reading “"Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?”
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “But you went and told her to, Bob.”
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “It's exactly the age he would think about it!”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.”
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading “"Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?”
take in marriage
From this reading “I wish she would marry him.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “"Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?”
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.”
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.
have on one's mind, think about actively
In this reading “It's exactly the age he would think about it!”
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 I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
how long something has existed
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But you went and told her to, Bob.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading But you went and told her to, Bob.
the two together, not just one
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But you went and told her to, Bob.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading It's exactly the age he would think about it!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But you went and told her to, Bob.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I wish she would marry him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It's exactly the age he would think about it!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's exactly the age he would think about it!
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
take in marriage
From this reading I wish she would marry him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I wish she would marry him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
express in words
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It's exactly the age he would think about it!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading It's exactly the age he would think about it!
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But you went and told her to, Bob.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading But you went and told her to, Bob.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading But you went and told her to, Bob.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why shouldn't he be thinking about marriage at his age?
hope for; have a wish
From this reading I wish she would marry him.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It's exactly the age he would think about it!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I tell you they could both do a lot worse than this.
Chapter 8 of The painted room by Margaret Wilson holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of The painted room, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The painted room by Margaret Wilson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 painted room by Margaret Wilson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The painted room section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The painted room 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 painted room, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
