Chapter 8 of Children of Men is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Children of Men is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I went from saloon to saloon. I am not a drinking man. But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place. Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars. I do not smoke.
Chapter 8 of Children of Men is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.”
plural of “cigar” — a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.”
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading “I am not a drinking man.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.”
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading ““I went from saloon to saloon.”
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading “I do not smoke.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I am not a drinking man.
(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 Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am not a drinking man.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
plural of “cigar” — a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not smoke.
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading I am not a drinking man.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “I went from saloon to saloon.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I went from saloon to saloon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I am not a drinking man.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I am not a drinking man.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “I went from saloon to saloon.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading I do not smoke.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But as I did not like to ask so many questions for nothing I bought a cigar in every place.
in the near future
From this reading Soon I had all my pockets full of cigars.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I went from saloon to saloon.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I went from saloon to saloon.
Chapter 8 of Children of Men by Bruno Lessing holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Children of Men, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Children of Men by Bruno Lessing exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Children of Men by Bruno Lessing on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3398 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54761 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54761, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 680 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Children of Men section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Children of Men 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 Children of Men, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
