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The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1
The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.
In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.
In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.
His face was beautiful, and this they saw.
His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.
Line 2
In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.
/ɪn ðə kɔːrs ʌv ðə mʌnθ ɪt wɑːz pleɪn ðæt hɪz læst hoʊld ɑːn laɪf wɑːz ˈræpədli ˈwiːkənɪŋ/
Line 3
In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.
Line 4
His face was beautiful, and this they saw.
/hɪz feɪs wɑːz ˈbjuːtəfəl ənd ðɪs ðeɪ sɔː/
Line 5
His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.
/hɪz hɑːrt wɑːz ˈrɑːtən tuː ðə kɔːr ənd ðɪs hiː kept ˈkerfəli kənˈsiːld/

Learner Dictionary

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.

core noun US /kɔːr/

a small group of indispensable persons or things

From this reading “His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.”

illness noun US /ˈɪlnəs/

impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism

From this reading “IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.”

justified adjective US /ˈdʒʌstəfaɪd/

having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins

From this reading “IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.”

neighbours noun US /ˈneɪbərz/

plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another

From this reading “In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.”

opinions noun US /əˈpɪnjənz/

plural of “opinion” — a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading “In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.”

predictions noun US /priˈdɪkʃənz/

plural of “prediction” — the act of predicting (as by reasoning about the future)

From this reading “IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.”

rotten adjective US /ˈrɑːtən/

very bad

From this reading “His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.”

weakening noun US /ˈwiːkənɪŋ/

becoming weaker

From this reading “In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.”

All words in this reading · 52

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.

ACQUAINTANCEnounUS /əˈkweɪntəns/

personal knowledge or information about someone or something

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

BEauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading His face was beautiful, and this they saw.

bei

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.

Cho

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

concealedadjectiveUS /kənˈsiːld/

not accessible to view

From this reading His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.

corenounUS /kɔːr/

a small group of indispensable persons or things

From this reading His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading His face was beautiful, and this they saw.

FORGOTverbUS /fərˈɡɑːt/

inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

goldenadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊldən/

having the deep slightly brownish color of gold

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

holdverbUS /hoʊld/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

householdnounUS /ˈhaʊshoʊld/

a social unit living together

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

Iemon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

IFconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

illnessnounUS /ˈɪlnəs/

impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

justifiedadjectiveUS /ˈdʒʌstəfaɪd/

having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

keptadjectiveUS /kept/

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

Matazaemon's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

monthnounUS /mʌnθ/

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

neighboursnounUS /ˈneɪbərz/

plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

OLDadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

opinionsnounUS /əˈpɪnjənz/

plural of “opinion” — a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

plainadjectiveUS /pleɪn/

clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

predictionsnounUS /priˈdɪkʃənz/

plural of “prediction” — the act of predicting (as by reasoning about the future)

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

rapidlyadverbUS /ˈræpədli/

with speed

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

rottenadjectiveUS /ˈrɑːtən/

very bad

From this reading His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading His face was beautiful, and this they saw.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading His face was beautiful, and this they saw.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading His face was beautiful, and this they saw.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading His heart was rotten to the core, and this he kept carefully concealed.

unounUS /juː/

a base containing nitrogen that is found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

From this reading IF OLD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT Matazaemon's illness justified all the predictions of Cho[u]bei.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

weakeningnounUS /ˈwiːkənɪŋ/

becoming weaker

From this reading In the course of the month it was plain that his last hold on life was rapidly weakening.

wonnounUS /wʌn/

the basic unit of money in South Korea

From this reading In that time Iemon had won golden opinions from household and neighbours.

Chapter 8 of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 by James S. (James Seguin) De Benneville holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 contain?

Chapter 8 holds 193 sentences of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 by James S. (James Seguin) De Benneville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1

Common questions about reading The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 by James S. (James Seguin) De Benneville on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1?

Yes. All 9196 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19944 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #19944, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1840 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 section by section

How to work through The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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Vocabulary met early in The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Yotsuya
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Suburb--at
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Extreme
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edo-to
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Yotsuya Kwaidan — Volume 1; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.