Chapter 8 of A Hero of Our Time is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of A Hero of Our Time is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire. “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela. I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.” “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly. “Because things don’t happen like that.
Chapter 8 of A Hero of Our Time is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading ““ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading ““Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.”
come to pass
From this reading ““Because things don’t happen like that.”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading ““ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.”
in an artful manner
From this reading ““Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading ““Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading ““Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.”
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading ““Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
(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 “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
for the reason that
From this reading “Because things don’t happen like that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Because things don’t happen like that.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
start firing a weapon
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
come to pass
From this reading “Because things don’t happen like that.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Because things don’t happen like that.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
in an artful manner
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
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 “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “ALL is for the best,” I said, sitting down close by the fire.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Because things don’t happen like that.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I am certain that what you have already told me was not the end of it.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading “Why are you so certain?” answered the staff-captain, winking and smiling slyly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Now you will finish telling me your story about Bela.
Chapter 8 of A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Iurevich Lermontov holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 138 sentences of A Hero of Our Time, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Iurevich Lermontov exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Iurevich Lermontov on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4100 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #913, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 341 minutes of reading across 820 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Hero of Our Time section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of A Hero of Our Time 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 Hero of Our Time, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
