Chapter 8 of The Bet is here in full — 401 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 The Bet is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation. Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more. “Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve. “I fully understand your state! God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
Chapter 8 of The Bet is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading ““Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.”
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading ““I fully understand your state!”
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading “Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.”
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading “Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.”
continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature
From this reading “Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.”
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading ““Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.”
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading ““Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.”
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 God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
past form of “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading “I fully understand your state!
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
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 God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
be in charge of, act on, or dispose of
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I fully understand your state!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
hear with intention
From this reading “Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.
continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
a particular point in time
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
on one occasion
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.
small stuff that is used for lashing two or more ropes together
From this reading “Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading “Listen,” he said eagerly, seizing Kirilov by the sleeve.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “I fully understand your state!
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Aboguin took hold of the door handle and drooped his head in meditation.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “I fully understand your state!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading God knows I’m ashamed to try to hold your attention at such a moment, but what can I do?
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading Evidently he was hesitating, not knowing whether to go away, or to ask the doctor once more.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I fully understand your state!
Chapter 8 of The Bet by Anton Chekhov holds 401 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 401 sentences of The Bet, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Bet by Anton Chekhov exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 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 The Bet by Anton Chekhov on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Bet 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 The Bet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
