Chapter 8 of A Damaged Reputation is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of A Damaged Reputation is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Devine smiled. "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me. You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to." He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again. "You see those papers, Bab?
Chapter 8 of A Damaged Reputation is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."”
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.”
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.”
plural of “document” — writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading “He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.”
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading “He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.”
be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.”
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading “"You see those papers, Bab?”
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading “You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."”
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 “"If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.”
In this reading “He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.”
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 You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
anew
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You see those papers, Bab?
a native or inhabitant of Great Britain
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Devine smiled.
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
plural of “document” — writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
engage in
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading "You see those papers, Bab?
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You see those papers, Bab?
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Devine smiled.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "You see those papers, Bab?
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
except if; if not
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading You can't make a Britisher talk, anyway, unless he wants to."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading He made a little gesture as though to indicate that the subject was not worth discussing, and then, taking up a bundle of documents, turned to her again.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If you don't know any reason you needn't ask me.
Chapter 8 of A Damaged Reputation by Harold Bindloss holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of A Damaged Reputation, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Damaged Reputation by Harold Bindloss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Damaged Reputation by Harold Bindloss on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5605 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37761 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37761, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 467 minutes of reading across 1121 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Damaged Reputation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of A Damaged Reputation 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 Damaged Reputation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
