Chapter 8 of A Chain of Evidence is here in full — 433 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 A Chain of Evidence is here in full — 433 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not. To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show? "Where were you late last Wednesday night?" I asked him bluntly. "By Jove!
Chapter 8 of A Chain of Evidence is here in full — 433 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.
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading “I asked him bluntly.”
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading “To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?”
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading “To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?”
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?”
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading “To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?”
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading “This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.”
angered at something unjust or wrong
From this reading “To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?”
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
From this reading “"Where were you late last Wednesday night?"”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.”
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 To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
(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 This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked him bluntly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
in a blunt direct manner
From this reading I asked him bluntly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By Jove!
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
a man of refinement
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I asked him bluntly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
the quality of innocent naivete
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
(Roman mythology) supreme god of Romans; counterpart of Greek Zeus
From this reading "By Jove!
and nothing more
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
immediately past
From this reading "Where were you late last Wednesday night?"
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "Where were you late last Wednesday night?"
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "Where were you late last Wednesday night?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
angered at something unjust or wrong
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
precisely as stated
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
the fourth day of the week; the third working day
From this reading "Where were you late last Wednesday night?"
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where were you late last Wednesday night?"
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading This was all very well if it were true, but how was I to know whether this fine gentleman were lying or not.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading To be sure his face, voice and manner gave every effect of outraged innocence, but was that not just what a clever criminal would show?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Where were you late last Wednesday night?"
Chapter 8 of A Chain of Evidence by Carolyn Wells holds 433 sentences, grouped into 87 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 433 sentences of A Chain of Evidence, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Chain of Evidence by Carolyn Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 433 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 A Chain of Evidence by Carolyn Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3818 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43351 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43351, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 318 minutes of reading across 764 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Chain of Evidence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of A Chain of Evidence 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 A Chain of Evidence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
