Chapter 8 of The Story of the Big Front Door is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Story of the Big Front Door is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A RIVAL CLUB. It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something. "There they go!" Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk. "They think they are so clever," growled Aleck.
Chapter 8 of The Story of the Big Front Door is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
in a busy manner
From this reading “It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.”
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading “"They think they are so clever," growled Aleck.”
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.”
the entering of a legal document into the public record
From this reading “Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “"They think they are so clever," growled Aleck.”
be equal to in quality or ability
From this reading “A RIVAL CLUB.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.”
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.”
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 RIVAL CLUB.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "They think they are so clever," growled Aleck.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
in a busy manner
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading "They think they are so clever," growled Aleck.
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading A RIVAL CLUB.
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
the entering of a legal document into the public record
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "There they go!"
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading "They think they are so clever," growled Aleck.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
a state in midwestern United States
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
above and across; more than
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
be equal to in quality or ability
From this reading A RIVAL CLUB.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
cut with a saw
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "They think they are so clever," growled Aleck.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
(astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There they go!"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "There they go!"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "They think they are so clever," growled Aleck.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Ikey exclaimed; and the others, looking over his shoulder, saw the M.Ks. filing up the Brown house walk.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the next Saturday afternoon, and Carl, Aleck, and Ikey sat in the star chamber busily discussing something.
Chapter 8 of The Story of the Big Front Door by Mary Finley Leonard holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 117 sentences of The Story of the Big Front Door, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Story of the Big Front Door by Mary Finley Leonard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Story of the Big Front Door by Mary Finley Leonard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3202 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19340 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19340, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 266 minutes of reading across 641 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Story of the Big Front Door section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Story of the Big Front Door 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 Story of the Big Front Door, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
