Chapter VIII of The Purple Fern, “What Happened Next,” is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter VIII of The Purple Fern, “What Happened Next,” is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?" "I think so. He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say." "What does the doctor say?" "Nothing.
Chapter VIII of The Purple Fern, “What Happened Next,” is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “"Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"”
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “"What does the doctor say?"”
a change for the better; progress in development
From this reading “He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “"Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"”
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."”
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading “He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."”
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.
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 He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "What does the doctor say?"
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What does the doctor say?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I think so.
a change for the better; progress in development
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
immediately past
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
express in words
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I think so.
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I think so.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
(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 "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What does the doctor say?"
at the time that
From this reading "Well?" asked Anthony, when Clarice returned to the drawing-room, "is Mr. Horran any better?"
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading He is awake and his voice is stronger, but whether the improvement will last, I can't say."
Chapter 8 of The Purple Fern by Fergus Hume holds 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 251 sentences of The Purple Fern, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Purple Fern by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Purple Fern by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6262 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56233 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56233, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 521 minutes of reading across 1253 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Purple Fern section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Purple Fern 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 Purple Fern, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
