Chapter 8 of Adventures in Criticism is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Adventures in Criticism is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Now are they hand to hand! How short a front! How close! _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight. That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
Chapter 8 of Adventures in Criticism is here in full — 393 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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 “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading “That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?”
give a thrashing to; beat hard
From this reading “That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?”
capable of being influenced or formed
From this reading “That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?”
joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
From this reading “_They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.”
fastened with stitches
From this reading “_They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.”
plural of “sheaf” — a package of several things tied together for carrying or storing
From this reading “That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?”
showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality
From this reading “That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?”
third-person singular of “wield” — have and exercise
From this reading “That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?”
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 How short a front!
from one side of something to the other
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now are they hand to hand!
a name given to a product or service
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading How close!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
plural of “englishman” — a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
give a thrashing to; beat hard
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading How short a front!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Now are they hand to hand!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How short a front!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now are they hand to hand!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
above and across; more than
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
capable of being influenced or formed
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
cut with a saw
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
fastened with stitches
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
plural of “sheaf” — a package of several things tied together for carrying or storing
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading How short a front!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now are they hand to hand!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now are they hand to hand!
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
which person or people
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
third-person singular of “wield” — have and exercise
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
in the company of; together with
From this reading _They're sewn together with steel cross-stitches, halbert over sword,_ _Spear across lance and death the purfled seam!_ I never saw so fierce, so lock'd a fight.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading That tireless brand that like a pliant flail Threshes the lives from sheaves of Englishmen-- Know you who wields it?
Chapter 8 of Adventures in Criticism by Arthur Quiller-Couch holds 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 393 sentences of Adventures in Criticism, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Adventures in Criticism by Arthur Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 393 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Adventures in Criticism by Arthur Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3425 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17452 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17452, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 285 minutes of reading across 685 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Adventures in Criticism section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Adventures in Criticism 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 Adventures in Criticism, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
