Chapter 8 of "Us," An Old Fashioned Story is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of "Us," An Old Fashioned Story is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NEW HOPES. "I am a friend to them and you." _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him. He never once could get near the children. And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
Chapter 8 of "Us," An Old Fashioned Story is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
English aristocrat who was the first wife of Prince Charles; her death in an automobile accident in Paris produced intense national mourning (1961-1997)
From this reading “And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.”
facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
From this reading “_Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.”
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “NEW HOPES.”
in other respects or ways
From this reading “_Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.”
in an unfortunate way
From this reading “_Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “_Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.”
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading “And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.”
possessive form of “winter” — the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
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 am a friend to them and you."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am a friend to them and you."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I am a friend to them and you."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading He never once could get near the children.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He never once could get near the children.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
English aristocrat who was the first wife of Prince Charles; her death in an automobile accident in Paris produced intense national mourning (1961-1997)
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
set up or found
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "I am a friend to them and you."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He never once could get near the children.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He never once could get near the children.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading NEW HOPES.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am a friend to them and you."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading He never once could get near the children.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He never once could get near the children.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading NEW HOPES.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
on one occasion
From this reading He never once could get near the children.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
in other respects or ways
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
in an unfortunate way
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "I am a friend to them and you."
a special situation
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I am a friend to them and you."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
precisely as stated
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And, what he found very strange, Diana herself seemed to be doing her utmost to keep him from them.
possessive form of “winter” — the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading _Winter's Tale._ It was a good thing Tim had some new ground of hope, for otherwise the next day or two would have sadly distressed him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I am a friend to them and you."
Chapter 8 of "Us," An Old Fashioned Story by Mrs. Molesworth holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 221 sentences of "Us," An Old Fashioned Story, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of "Us," An Old Fashioned Story by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 "Us," An Old Fashioned Story by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2556 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16954 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16954, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 213 minutes of reading across 512 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "Us," An Old Fashioned Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of "Us," An Old Fashioned Story 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 "Us," An Old Fashioned Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
