Chapter 8 of All in the dark is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of All in the dark is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNSOCIABLE. At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time. William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously. At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?” “Yes, a tiresome one,” he answered.
Chapter 8 of All in the dark is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
in a covert manner
From this reading “William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.”
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading “William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.”
depressingly dark
From this reading “William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.”
impressive in appearance
From this reading “William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading ““Yes, a tiresome one,” he answered.”
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.”
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 “At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.”
In this reading “At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.”
In this reading “At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.”
In this reading “At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?””
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 William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Yes, a tiresome one,” he answered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
in a covert manner
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
depressingly dark
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, a tiresome one,” he answered.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
immediately past
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
a form of address for a man
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Yes, a tiresome one,” he answered.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
on the contrary
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
impressive in appearance
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
in or at that place or location
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “Yes, a tiresome one,” he answered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
not inclined to society or companionship
From this reading UNSOCIABLE.
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At dinner, in the parlour of Gilroyd Hall, there was silence for some time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading William looked a little gloomy, Violet rather fierce and stately, and Aunt Dinah eyed her two guests covertly, without remark, but curiously.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, a tiresome one,” he answered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading At last she said to William— “You took a walk with Mr. Trevor?”
Chapter 8 of All in the dark by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu holds 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 82 sentences of All in the dark, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of All in the dark by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 All in the dark by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4705 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75028 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75028, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 941 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through All in the dark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of All in the dark 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 All in the dark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
