Chapter 8 of While the Billy Boils is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of While the Billy Boils is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?” “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin! Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.” “Blarst the cops! D'yer think I cares for 'em?
Chapter 8 of While the Billy Boils is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading ““Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?””
plural of “care” — the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “D'yer think I cares for 'em?”
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading ““Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?””
plural of “cop” — uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
From this reading ““Blarst the cops!”
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading ““How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!”
a member of a police force
From this reading “Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.””
cause to go somewhere
From this reading “Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.””
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading ““Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?””
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 “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
react verbally
From this reading “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Blarst the cops!
plural of “care” — the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading D'yer think I cares for 'em?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
plural of “cop” — uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
From this reading “Blarst the cops!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading D'yer think I cares for 'em?
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
a quad with a square body
From this reading D'yer think I cares for 'em?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading D'yer think I cares for 'em?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.”
a member of a police force
From this reading Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
cause to go somewhere
From this reading Be off! or I'll send for a policeman.”
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Blarst the cops!
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading D'yer think I cares for 'em?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Strike me dead! carn't yer answer a civil queschin?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “How dare you talk to me like that, you young larrikin!
Chapter 8 of While the Billy Boils by Henry Lawson holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of While the Billy Boils, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of While the Billy Boils by Henry Lawson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 While the Billy Boils by Henry Lawson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4712 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7144 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7144, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 943 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through While the Billy Boils section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of While the Billy Boils 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 While the Billy Boils, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
