Chapter 8 of Dave Dawson at Dunkirk is here in full — 403 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 Dave Dawson at Dunkirk is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And I bet that's Namur!" Freddy cried and speeded up the car. "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave. Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago. We'll never find them there, if that's Namur!"
Chapter 8 of Dave Dawson at Dunkirk is here in full — 403 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.
in the past
From this reading “Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.”
of or relating to or characteristic of Belgium or the Belgian people
From this reading “Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.”
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading “"And I bet that's Namur!"”
make a strident sound
From this reading “"Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “Freddy cried and speeded up the car.”
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading “Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.”
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading “Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.”
past form of “speed” — move hurridly
From this reading “Freddy cried and speeded up the car.”
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 “"Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.
in the past
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And I bet that's Namur!"
of or relating to or characteristic of Belgium or the Belgian people
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
maintain with or as if with a bet
From this reading "And I bet that's Namur!"
make a strident sound
From this reading "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Freddy cried and speeded up the car.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Freddy cried and speeded up the car.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading We'll never find them there, if that's Namur!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Freddy cried and speeded up the car.
a nonmetallic univalent element that is normally a colorless and odorless highly flammable diatomic gas; the simplest and lightest and most abundant element in the universe
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "And I bet that's Namur!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading We'll never find them there, if that's Namur!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
a city in south central Belgium situated on a promontory between the Meuse River and the Sambre River; the site of intense fighting in World War I and World War II
From this reading "And I bet that's Namur!"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading We'll never find them there, if that's Namur!"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
the 17th letter of the Roman alphabet
From this reading Belgian H.Q. has probably cleared out long ago.
past form of “speed” — move hurridly
From this reading Freddy cried and speeded up the car.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And I bet that's Namur!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Freddy cried and speeded up the car.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading We'll never find them there, if that's Namur!"
in or at that place or location
From this reading We'll never find them there, if that's Namur!"
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Freddy cried and speeded up the car.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'll never find them there, if that's Namur!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Blast it, we're too late I'm afraid, Dave.
Chapter 8 of Dave Dawson at Dunkirk by Robert Sidney Bowen holds 403 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 403 sentences of Dave Dawson at Dunkirk, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Dave Dawson at Dunkirk by Robert Sidney Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 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 Dave Dawson at Dunkirk by Robert Sidney Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4495 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32440 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32440, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 374 minutes of reading across 899 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dave Dawson at Dunkirk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Dave Dawson at Dunkirk 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 Dave Dawson at Dunkirk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
