Chapter 8 of The Prodigal Son is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Prodigal Son is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible." "It is, it is--you know it is." Thora gasped for breath. Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable. The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
Chapter 8 of The Prodigal Son is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
brought into existence
From this reading “The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."”
an evil supernatural being
From this reading “The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Thora gasped for breath.”
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading “The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.”
a person who requires medical care
From this reading “The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.”
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading “The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.”
defying recognition as e.g. because of damage or alteration
From this reading “Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.”
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.
communicate the intended meaning or impression
In this reading “Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.”
In this reading “The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.”
In this reading “Thora gasped for breath.”
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 patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
brought into existence
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Thora gasped for breath.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
an evil supernatural being
From this reading The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Thora gasped for breath.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Thora gasped for breath.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "It is, it is--you know it is."
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
not any; not one
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
above and across; more than
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
a person who requires medical care
From this reading The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thora gasped for breath.
defying recognition as e.g. because of damage or alteration
From this reading Then an extraordinary change came over her that made her almost unrecognizable.
at the time that
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The child will be my child, and when he is born he will have my face----" "No, it is not possible."
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The patient and gentle woman seemed suddenly possessed by a demon.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It is, it is--you know it is."
Chapter 8 of The Prodigal Son by Hall, Sir Caine holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of The Prodigal Son, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Prodigal Son by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Prodigal Son by Hall, Sir Caine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8028 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51950 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51950, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1606 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prodigal Son section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Prodigal Son 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 Prodigal Son, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
