Chapter 8 of Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less 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 Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger. He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully. Then he bent and snapped it in his fingers. “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm. “Come, we must look at the other pictures.
Chapter 8 of Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less 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.
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading “He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.”
the finger next to the thumb
From this reading “Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.”
without good reason
From this reading ““I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.”
sounding as if the nose were pinched
From this reading “Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “Then he bent and snapped it in his fingers.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.”
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading “Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.”
plural of “tuft” — a bunch of hair or feathers or growing grass
From this reading “He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.”
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 “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Come, we must look at the other pictures.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading Then he bent and snapped it in his fingers.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come, we must look at the other pictures.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Then he bent and snapped it in his fingers.
the finger next to the thumb
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then he bent and snapped it in his fingers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
set down according to a plan
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
without good reason
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Come, we must look at the other pictures.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “Come, we must look at the other pictures.
not any; not one
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “Come, we must look at the other pictures.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading “Come, we must look at the other pictures.
sounding as if the nose were pinched
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading Then he bent and snapped it in his fingers.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he bent and snapped it in his fingers.
the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
plural of “tuft” — a bunch of hair or feathers or growing grass
From this reading He drew down the spectacles from his tufts and examined it carefully.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I don’t know no such--” A hand was laid lightly on his arm.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Come, we must look at the other pictures.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle William pinched it between his thumb and forefinger.
Chapter 8 of Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less by Jennette Lee 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 Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less by Jennette Lee 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 Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less by Jennette Lee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4634, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 284 minutes of reading across 683 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less 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 Uncle William: The Man Who Was Shif'less, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
