Chapter 8 of Westerfelt is here in full — 228 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Westerfelt is here in full — 228 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor. In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him. She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared. "What's the matter, Harriet?" "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
Chapter 8 of Westerfelt is here in full — 228 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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 “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.”
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading “When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.”
past form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading “"He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.”
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading “She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.”
cover as if with a shroud
From this reading “In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.”
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading “In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.”
without awareness
From this reading “In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.”
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 In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
past form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
set up or found
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "What's the matter, Harriet?"
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "He has fainted--I don't know, he may be dead.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
above and across; more than
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
cover as if with a shroud
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
hard to endure
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
without awareness
From this reading In his fall he had unconsciously clutched and torn down the curtain, and like a shroud it lay over him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was trying to raise him, when the door opened and her mother appeared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's the matter, Harriet?"
at the time that
From this reading When Harriet returned she found Westerfelt lying face downward on the floor.
Chapter 8 of Westerfelt by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben holds 228 sentences, grouped into 46 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 228 sentences of Westerfelt, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Westerfelt by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 228 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Westerfelt by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4519 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17178 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17178, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 376 minutes of reading across 904 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Westerfelt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Westerfelt 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 Westerfelt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
