Chapter 8 of A Town Is Drowning 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 A Town Is Drowning is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was nearly two o'clock in the morning. Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff. It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this. Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here? Get some sleep."
Chapter 8 of A Town Is Drowning 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.
plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.”
a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance
From this reading “Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.”
a spectator who can describe what happened
From this reading “It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.”
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading “Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.”
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading “Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.”
plural of “listener” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading “It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.”
come to pass
From this reading “It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.”
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.”
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.
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?”
In this reading “It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.”
In this reading “Get some sleep."”
In this reading “It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.”
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 Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
(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 It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
a person who is in charge
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
a spectator who can describe what happened
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Get some sleep."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
any place of pain and turmoil
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.
and nothing more
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
hear with intention
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
plural of “listener” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
according to the clock
From this reading It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.
come to pass
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
at the scene of action
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
above and across; more than
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Get some sleep."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Get some sleep."
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
not in physical motion
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hell of a fat audience they'll have to listen to them now, thought Groff.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was nearly two o'clock in the morning.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It didn't occur to him that all over the country listeners were staying up past their bedtimes for just such eyewitness, on-the-spot accounts as this.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Chief Brayer came out and said, "You still here?
Chapter 8 of A Town Is Drowning by Frederik Pohl holds 432 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 432 sentences of A Town Is Drowning, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Town Is Drowning by Frederik Pohl exactly as it stands in the 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 A Town Is Drowning by Frederik Pohl on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3893 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66768 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66768, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 779 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Town Is Drowning section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of A Town Is Drowning 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 Town Is Drowning, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
