Chapter 8 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“But I don't want to talk,” said I. “I don't want to talk to anybody.” “Good for you,” said Charles Edward. “Now I'll run along.” I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
Chapter 8 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
give advice to
From this reading “I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!”
any person at all
From this reading ““I don't want to talk to anybody.””
used as intensifiers
From this reading “I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!”
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading “I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!”
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading ““Good for you,” said Charles Edward.”
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading ““Good for you,” said Charles Edward.”
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading “I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!”
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.
give advice to
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “Now I'll run along.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
any person at all
From this reading “I don't want to talk to anybody.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But I don't want to talk,” said I.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading “Good for you,” said Charles Edward.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But I don't want to talk,” said I.
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading “Good for you,” said Charles Edward.
apart from; not including
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
a social unit living together
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Good for you,” said Charles Edward.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good for you,” said Charles Edward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But I don't want to talk,” said I.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now I'll run along.”
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now I'll run along.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “Now I'll run along.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “But I don't want to talk,” said I.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “But I don't want to talk,” said I.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
in or at that place or location
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But I don't want to talk,” said I.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “But I don't want to talk,” said I.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
at the time that
From this reading I sat there on the piazza watching him, thinking he'd been awfully good to me, and feeling less bruised, somehow, than I do when the rest of the family advise me--except mother!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Good for you,” said Charles Edward.
Chapter 8 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors by William Dean Howells holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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.
Chapter 8 holds 423 sentences of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5066 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5066, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors 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 Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
