Chapter 8 of Good References is here in full — 314 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Good References is here in full — 314 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure. Why didn't she say something? Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it? He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne. But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
Chapter 8 of Good References is here in full — 314 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/62 · 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.
inflected form of “bear” — have
From this reading “He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “"MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.”
strip the skin off
From this reading “Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?”
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading “"MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.”
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading “"MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.”
(followed by “to” or “of”) lacking conscious awareness of
From this reading “But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.”
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.
at or in the front
In this reading “But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.”
as might be expected
In this reading “He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.”
In this reading “"MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.”
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.
possessing life
From this reading Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
inflected form of “bear” — have
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why didn't she say something?
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
divisible by two
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
strip the skin off
From this reading Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
not any; not one
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
(followed by “to” or “of”) lacking conscious awareness of
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
express in words
From this reading Why didn't she say something?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why didn't she say something?
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Why didn't she say something?
be standing; be upright
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
successive (without a break)
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "MISS NORCROSS GETS THE GOODS" As minutes passed the silence became more than he could endure.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why didn't she say something?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Why didn't she flay him alive and be done with it?
expressed without speech
From this reading But no; she sat staring straight in front of her, wordless, even oblivious.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
but in spite of that
From this reading He could stand that; it would not be pleasant, of course, yet it could be borne.
Chapter 8 of Good References by E. J. Rath holds 314 sentences, grouped into 63 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 314 sentences of Good References, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Good References by E. J. Rath exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 314 sentences, grouped into 63 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 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 63 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 Good References by E. J. Rath on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6937 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42754 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42754, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 578 minutes of reading across 1388 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Good References section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Good References 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 Good References, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
