Chapter 8 of A Little World is here in full — 434 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 Little World is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully. "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken." Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking. "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing. But I am upon thorns--what do you know?"
Chapter 8 of A Little World is here in full — 434 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.
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading “"I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.”
without deviation
From this reading “"I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.”
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “"I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.”
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading “"I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.”
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.”
plural of “thorn” — something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading “But I am upon thorns--what do you know?"”
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading “"I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.”
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.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.”
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 "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading But I am upon thorns--what do you know?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
without deviation
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
express in words
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
plural of “thorn” — something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading But I am upon thorns--what do you know?"
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading "I do not know--I hope so--I fear so," said Harry, thoughtfully.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading But I am upon thorns--what do you know?"
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Sir Richard looked disappointed, but he went on speaking.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
during the time that
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I directly placed myself in communication with the police, but so far they have done nothing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But stay a while--tell me first what steps you have taken."
Chapter 8 of A Little World by George Manville Fenn holds 434 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 434 sentences of A Little World, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Little World by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 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 Little World by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5921 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34143 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34143, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Little World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of A Little World 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 Little World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
