Chapter 8 of Gargoyles is here in full — 423 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 Gargoyles is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like. But why should we call that love. Because love means to hold a woman in your arms. I don't care about holding a woman. I want to hold something else.
Chapter 8 of Gargoyles is here in full — 423 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.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading “Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “But why should we call that love.”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “I don't care about holding a woman.”
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “"All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.”
the act of retaining something
From this reading “I don't care about holding a woman.”
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading “Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.”
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading “"All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.”
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 “"All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.”
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 Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I don't care about holding a woman.
(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 "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
for the reason that
From this reading Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But why should we call that love.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading But why should we call that love.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading I don't care about holding a woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't care about holding a woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I want to hold something else.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
the act of retaining something
From this reading I don't care about holding a woman.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't care about holding a woman.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading But why should we call that love.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading But why should we call that love.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I want to hold something else.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But why should we call that love.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I want to hold something else.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading But why should we call that love.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "All this," he said, "all this night and trees and things we feel more than we see, are like what you're like.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Because love means to hold a woman in your arms.
Chapter 8 of Gargoyles by Ben Hecht holds 423 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 423 sentences of Gargoyles, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Gargoyles by Ben Hecht exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 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 Gargoyles by Ben Hecht on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38489 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38489, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1656 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gargoyles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Gargoyles 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 Gargoyles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
