Chapter 8 of The Wishing Well is here in full — 406 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 Wishing Well is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough. Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years. Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof. "Find anything?" inquired Rhoda impatiently. "Two birds' nests.
Chapter 8 of The Wishing Well is here in full — 406 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.
a structural member used to stiffen a framework
From this reading “Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.”
(often used in combination) having a specified direction
From this reading “"In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough.”
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading “"Find anything?" inquired Rhoda impatiently.”
look over carefully
From this reading “Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.”
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading “Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.”
plural of “nest” — a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading “"Two birds' nests.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.”
a shed for storing firewood or garden tools
From this reading “"In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough.”
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 “Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.”
nest where birds lay their eggs and hatch their young
In this reading “"Two birds' nests.”
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 Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
any thing at all
From this reading "Find anything?" inquired Rhoda impatiently.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading "Two birds' nests.
a structural member used to stiffen a framework
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
-ing form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
(often used in combination) having a specified direction
From this reading "In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "Find anything?" inquired Rhoda impatiently.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
with impatience; in an impatient manner
From this reading "Find anything?" inquired Rhoda impatiently.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Find anything?" inquired Rhoda impatiently.
look over carefully
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough.
plural of “nest” — a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading "Two birds' nests.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Find anything?" inquired Rhoda impatiently.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
in the near future
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Two birds' nests.
(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 Bracing it against the well, she mounted and began to inspect the roof.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
a shed for storing firewood or garden tools
From this reading "In the woodshed," directed Mrs. Marborough.
a late time of life
From this reading Penny soon returned carrying a dust-laden step-ladder which had not seen service in many years.
Chapter 8 of The Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 406 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 406 sentences of The Wishing Well, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 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 Wishing Well by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3661 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34689 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34689, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 733 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wishing Well section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Wishing Well 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 Wishing Well, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
