Chapter 8 of From School to Battle-Field is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of From School to Battle-Field is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Another week began. Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain. He had disappeared as from the face of the earth. Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter. His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.
Chapter 8 of From School to Battle-Field is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading “His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.”
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading “Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.”
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.”
possessive form of “pop” — an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.”
reduced to silence
From this reading “His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.”
hunt or shoot snipe
From this reading “Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.”
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.
(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 Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another week began.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had disappeared as from the face of the earth.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Another week began.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading He had disappeared as from the face of the earth.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading He had disappeared as from the face of the earth.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He had disappeared as from the face of the earth.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had disappeared as from the face of the earth.
brought together in one place
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had disappeared as from the face of the earth.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had disappeared as from the face of the earth.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had disappeared as from the face of the earth.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
possessive form of “pop” — an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shorty looked an inch shorter and several pounds lighter.
reduced to silence
From this reading His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.
hunt or shoot snipe
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Pop's boys gathered on Monday morning, and the first question on every lip was for Snipe, and all in vain.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Another week began.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading His chatter was silenced, his young heart heavy as lead.
Chapter 8 of From School to Battle-Field by Charles King holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 137 sentences of From School to Battle-Field, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of From School to Battle-Field by Charles King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 From School to Battle-Field by Charles King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3310 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37672 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37672, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 275 minutes of reading across 662 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From School to Battle-Field section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of From School to Battle-Field 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 From School to Battle-Field, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
