Chapter 8 of Gypsies of the Air is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Gypsies of the Air is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them. Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever. “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones. “What do you think he’s up to?” “Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?”
Chapter 8 of Gypsies of the Air is here in full — 278 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading “Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.”
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading ““Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.”
-ing form of “cruise” — drive around aimlessly but ostentatiously and at leisure
From this reading “Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.”
plural of “earphone” — electro-acoustic transducer for converting electric signals into sounds; it is held over or inserted into the ear
From this reading ““Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.”
take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
From this reading ““Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?””
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading “Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.”
a very small spot
From this reading “Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.”
English actress (1847-1928)
From this reading “Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.”
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 “Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.”
In this reading ““Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?””
In this reading “Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.”
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 Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
-ing form of “cruise” — drive around aimlessly but ostentatiously and at leisure
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
recognizable; marked
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?”
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you think he’s up to?”
plural of “earphone” — electro-acoustic transducer for converting electric signals into sounds; it is held over or inserted into the ear
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
obtain
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What do you think he’s up to?”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
and nothing more
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
From this reading “Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?”
an intermediate platform in a staircase
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
not any; not one
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
express in words
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
a very small spot
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
English actress (1847-1928)
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “What do you think he’s up to?”
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
very small
From this reading Happy Landing But the tiny speck in the distance did not gain on them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What do you think he’s up to?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Didn’t he help kidnap you two boys?”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you think he’s up to?”
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Terry decided that it was just a cruising airplane and had no connection with them whatever.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Did you say that Joe Arnold was up here?” asked Allan through the earphones.
Chapter 8 of Gypsies of the Air by Bess Moyer holds 278 sentences, grouped into 56 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 278 sentences of Gypsies of the Air, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Gypsies of the Air by Bess Moyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 278 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Gypsies of the Air by Bess Moyer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2079 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47554 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47554, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 173 minutes of reading across 416 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gypsies of the Air section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Gypsies of the Air 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 Gypsies of the Air, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
