Chapter 8 of Black Is White is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Black Is White is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His face was livid with rage. For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue. Then he whirled about to glare into the hall. “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble. They had never seen him in a rage before.
Chapter 8 of Black Is White is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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.
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading “Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.”
past form of “glower” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading “For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.”
an upward movement (especially a rhythmical rising and falling)
From this reading “For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.”
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading “His face was livid with rage.”
with spasms
From this reading “For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.”
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading “For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.”
relating to or produced by or consisting of volcanoes
From this reading “For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.”
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.”
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 “Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.”
temporarily
In this reading “For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.”
In this reading “Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.”
In this reading “His face was livid with rage.”
In this reading “For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.”
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 For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.
(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 “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading They had never seen him in a rage before.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was livid with rage.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.
past form of “glower” — look at with a fixed gaze
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
possessive form of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had never seen him in a rage before.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
an upward movement (especially a rhythmical rising and falling)
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They had never seen him in a rage before.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His face was livid with rage.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading His face was livid with rage.
the force of workers available
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading They had never seen him in a rage before.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading His face was livid with rage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They had never seen him in a rage before.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
with spasms
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
put down by force or intimidation
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had never seen him in a rage before.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
hard to endure
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
relating to or produced by or consisting of volcanoes
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His face was livid with rage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “In God's name, Freddy, what's happened?” cried Mr Riggs, all a-tremble.
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Then he whirled about to glare into the hall.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His face was livid with rage.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading For a moment he glowered upon the two old men, his fingers working spasmodically, his chest heaving with the volcanic emotions he was trying so hard to subdue.
Chapter 8 of Black Is White by George Barr McCutcheon holds 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 368 sentences of Black Is White, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Black Is White by George Barr McCutcheon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 74 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 Black Is White by George Barr McCutcheon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7795 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54097 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54097, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1559 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Black Is White section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Black Is White 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 Black Is White, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
