Chapter 8 of The Shakespeare Story-Book is here in full — 407 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 Shakespeare Story-Book is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What, are you hurt?” said Benvolio. “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner. “Marry, it’s enough. Where is my page? Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.”
Chapter 8 of The Shakespeare Story-Book is here in full — 407 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.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading ““Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.”
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading “Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.””
be the source of pain
From this reading ““What, are you hurt?” said Benvolio.”
take in marriage
From this reading ““Marry, it’s enough.”
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “Where is my page?”
cause friction
From this reading ““Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.”
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading “Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.””
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading “Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.””
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What, are you hurt?” said Benvolio.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What, are you hurt?” said Benvolio.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “Marry, it’s enough.
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
be the source of pain
From this reading “What, are you hurt?” said Benvolio.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Where is my page?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Marry, it’s enough.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
take in marriage
From this reading “Marry, it’s enough.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Where is my page?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading Where is my page?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “What, are you hurt?” said Benvolio.
cause friction
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.”
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading Go, villain, fetch a surgeon.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What, are you hurt?” said Benvolio.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where is my page?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Ay, ay, a scratch--a scratch,” said Mercutio, with an attempt at his old light manner.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What, are you hurt?” said Benvolio.
Chapter 8 of The Shakespeare Story-Book by Mary Macleod holds 407 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 407 sentences of The Shakespeare Story-Book, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Shakespeare Story-Book by Mary Macleod exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 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 Shakespeare Story-Book by Mary Macleod on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5790 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49146 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49146, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 482 minutes of reading across 1158 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shakespeare Story-Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Shakespeare Story-Book 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 Shakespeare Story-Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
