Chapter 8 of Armadale is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Armadale is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer. “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.” “Here’s the daybreak!” cried Allan. “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already. I beg your pardon.
Chapter 8 of Armadale is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “I beg your pardon.”
the first light of day
From this reading ““Here’s the daybreak!” cried Allan.”
indecision in speech or action
From this reading “After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.”
plural of “mast” — a vertical spar for supporting sails
From this reading ““Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.”
the middle of winter
From this reading “After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “I beg your pardon.”
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading ““I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.””
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 After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
later than; following
From this reading After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
anew
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s the daybreak!” cried Allan.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading I beg your pardon.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
rid of obstructions
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Here’s the daybreak!” cried Allan.
the first light of day
From this reading “Here’s the daybreak!” cried Allan.
yet to be or coming
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here’s the daybreak!” cried Allan.
indecision in speech or action
From this reading After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
plural of “mast” — a vertical spar for supporting sails
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
the middle of winter
From this reading After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading I beg your pardon.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading After an instant’s hesitation, Midwinter took a step nearer.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Look up at the masts; they’re beginning to get clear again already.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
at the time that
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I have been thinking of your future and mine,” he said; “I have been thinking of the time when your way in life and my way in life will be two ways instead of one.”
Chapter 8 of Armadale by Wilkie Collins holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 398 sentences of Armadale, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Armadale by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Armadale by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 16166 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1895 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1895, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3234 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Armadale section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Armadale 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 Armadale, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
