Chapter 8 of The Return of the Prodigal is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Return of the Prodigal is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Straker was getting on. A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world. She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there. "_Not_ Philippa?" he asked wearily. "No, Jimmy, not Philippa.
Chapter 8 of The Return of the Prodigal is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.”
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “Straker was getting on.”
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading “She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.”
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading “She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.”
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “"No, Jimmy, not Philippa.”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading “She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.”
in a weary manner
From this reading “"_Not_ Philippa?" he asked wearily.”
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.”
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.
In this reading “A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.”
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 A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "_Not_ Philippa?" he asked wearily.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading Straker was getting on.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading "No, Jimmy, not Philippa.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, Jimmy, not Philippa.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "_Not_ Philippa?" he asked wearily.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Straker was getting on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Not_ Philippa?" he asked wearily.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
on the contrary
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Straker was getting on.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Straker was getting on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
in a weary manner
From this reading "_Not_ Philippa?" he asked wearily.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She rather hoped--though she couldn't altogether promise him--that a certain lady in whom he was interested (he needn't try to look as if he wasn't) would be there.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading A week at Amberley would do him all the good in the world.
Chapter 8 of The Return of the Prodigal by May Sinclair holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of The Return of the Prodigal, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Return of the Prodigal by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Return of the Prodigal by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7139 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31595 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31595, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 594 minutes of reading across 1428 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Return of the Prodigal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Return of the Prodigal 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 Return of the Prodigal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
