Chapter 8 of Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He had known of this trouble. His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence. She had been unwilling to come to me. She had not known what to do. She had been helpless.
Chapter 8 of Anthony the Absolute is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading “His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.”
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading “His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.”
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading “She had been helpless.”
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading “His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.”
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “He had known of this trouble.”
the property of a continuous and connected period of time
From this reading “His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.”
a source of difficulty
From this reading “He had known of this trouble.”
not disposed or inclined toward
From this reading “She had been unwilling to come to me.”
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.
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.
past form of “aim” — point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had been unwilling to come to me.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She had been unwilling to come to me.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading She had not known what to do.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had known of this trouble.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had known of this trouble.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
lacking in or deprived of strength or power
From this reading She had been helpless.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading He had known of this trouble.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She had been unwilling to come to me.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She had not known what to do.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had known of this trouble.
the property of a continuous and connected period of time
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had been unwilling to come to me.
with skill
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had known of this trouble.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
a source of difficulty
From this reading He had known of this trouble.
not disposed or inclined toward
From this reading She had been unwilling to come to me.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She had not known what to do.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His knowledge of it had held him here to annoy her with skilfully aimed persistence.
Chapter 8 of Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 405 sentences of Anthony the Absolute, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Anthony the Absolute by Samuel Merwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5602 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52507 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52507, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 466 minutes of reading across 1121 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Anthony the Absolute section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Anthony the Absolute 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 Anthony the Absolute, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
