Chapter 8 of Day and Night Stories is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Day and Night Stories is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were. He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn. Quite close he stood, almost touching it. The next second he had touched it. His knuckles struck upon the wood.
Chapter 8 of Day and Night Stories is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
clothing in general
From this reading “And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.”
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading “And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.”
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading “His knuckles struck upon the wood.”
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading “And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.”
having come into contact
From this reading “The next second he had touched it.”
arousing affect
From this reading “Quite close he stood, almost touching it.”
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading “His knuckles struck upon the wood.”
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading “He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.”
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 “Quite close he stood, almost touching it.”
In this reading “Quite close he stood, almost touching it.”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Quite close he stood, almost touching it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Quite close he stood, almost touching it.
clothing in general
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
set up or found
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His knuckles struck upon the wood.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Quite close he stood, almost touching it.
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading His knuckles struck upon the wood.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next second he had touched it.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Quite close he stood, almost touching it.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The next second he had touched it.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
having a supporting base
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Quite close he stood, almost touching it.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading His knuckles struck upon the wood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
having come into contact
From this reading The next second he had touched it.
arousing affect
From this reading Quite close he stood, almost touching it.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading His knuckles struck upon the wood.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
in or at the place that
From this reading And he found himself standing opposite the big cupboard where her clothes were.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading His knuckles struck upon the wood.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading He wanted to see those clothes--things she had used and worn.
Chapter 8 of Day and Night Stories by Algernon Blackwood holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 431 sentences of Day and Night Stories, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Day and Night Stories by Algernon Blackwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Day and Night Stories by Algernon Blackwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4748 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45964 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45964, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 395 minutes of reading across 950 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Day and Night Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Day and Night Stories 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 Day and Night Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
