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The Professor at the Breakfast-Table
The Professor at the Breakfast-Table

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Professor at the Breakfast-Table
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.
Mrs. Overcome, by his estimable lady.
Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.
Peggy, by the female help.
The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.
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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 Professor at the Breakfast-Table

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.
/ðə rev ˈmɪstər ˈoʊvərkʌm baɪ ðə ˈklɜːrdʒimən ʌv ðɪs ˈpærɪʃ/
Line 2
Mrs. Overcome, by his estimable lady.
/ˈmɪsɪz ˈoʊvərkʌm baɪ hɪz ˈestəməbəl ˈleɪdi/
Line 3
Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.
Line 4
Peggy, by the female help.
Line 5
The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

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.

Clergyman noun US /ˈklɜːrdʒimən/

a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church

From this reading “The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.”

estimable adjective US /ˈestəməbəl/

deserving of respect or high regard

From this reading “Mrs. Overcome, by his estimable lady.”

Luke noun US /luːk/

(New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel

From this reading “Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.”

Matthew noun US /ˈmæθjuː/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel

From this reading “Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.”

Misses noun US /ˈmɪsəz/

plural of “miss” — a young female

From this reading “Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.”

Parish noun US /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

From this reading “The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.”

Rachel noun US /ˈreɪtʃəl/

(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin

From this reading “Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.”

Rev verb US /rev/

increase the number of rotations per minute

From this reading “The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.”

All words in this reading · 41

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 The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

ClergymannounUS /ˈklɜːrdʒimən/

a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

Dorcas

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

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

estimableadjectiveUS /ˈestəməbəl/

deserving of respect or high regard

From this reading Mrs. Overcome, by his estimable lady.

femaleadjectiveUS /ˈfiːmeɪl/

being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop

From this reading Peggy, by the female help.

gratefuladjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtfəl/

feeling or showing gratitude

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

Hannah

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

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading Peggy, by the female help.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Mrs. Overcome, by his estimable lady.

interestingadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/

arousing or holding the attention

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

ladynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading Mrs. Overcome, by his estimable lady.

LukenounUS /luːk/

(New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

MarkverbUS /mɑːrk/

attach a tag or label to

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

MastersnounUS /ˈmæstərz/

United States poet (1869-1950)

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

MatthewnounUS /ˈmæθjuː/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

MissesnounUS /ˈmɪsəz/

plural of “miss” — a young female

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Mrs. Overcome, by his estimable lady.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

OvercomeverbUS /ˈoʊvərkʌm/

win a victory over

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

ParishnounUS /ˈpærɪʃ/

a local church community

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

Peggy

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

From this reading Peggy, by the female help.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

RachelnounUS /ˈreɪtʃəl/

(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

reliefnounUS /rɪˈliːf/

the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

RevverbUS /rev/

increase the number of rotations per minute

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

Tabitha

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

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Masters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Overcome, Misses Dorcas, Tabitha, Rachel, and Hannah, Overcome, by their interesting children.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading The Rev. Mr. Overcome, by the Clergyman of this Parish.

unexpectedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪd/

not expected or anticipated

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

welcomeverbUS /ˈwelkəm/

accept gladly

From this reading The poor man is really grateful;--it is a most welcome and unexpected relief.

Chapter 8 of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table contain?

Chapter 8 holds 142 sentences of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 Professor at the Breakfast-Table?

Work through the 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 29 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 Professor at the Breakfast-Table

Common questions about reading The Professor at the Breakfast-Table by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table?

Yes. All 3744 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2665 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2665, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Professor at the Breakfast-Table take to read?

About 312 minutes of reading across 749 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Professor at the Breakfast-Table section by section

How to work through The Professor at the Breakfast-Table section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table 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 Professor at the Breakfast-Table

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Professor at the Breakfast-Table, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Reader
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
To-day
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Forget
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Trust
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Professor at the Breakfast-Table; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.