Chapter 8 of Half a Hero: A Novel is here in full — 140 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 Half a Hero: A Novel is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TWO HASTY UTTERANCES. "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw. Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips. He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat. There were better things than the support of the Legislative Council.
Chapter 8 of Half a Hero: A Novel is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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 unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading “He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.”
excessively quick
From this reading “TWO HASTY UTTERANCES.”
relating to a legislature or composed of members of a legislature
From this reading “"Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.”
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading “Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.”
past form of “purse” — contract one's lips into a rounded shape
From this reading “Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.”
a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
From this reading “He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.”
the quality or attribute of being firm and steadfast
From this reading “He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.”
plural of “utterance” — the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading “TWO HASTY UTTERANCES.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading There were better things than the support of the Legislative Council.
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
excessively quick
From this reading TWO HASTY UTTERANCES.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
relating to a legislature or composed of members of a legislature
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
on one occasion
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.
past form of “purse” — contract one's lips into a rounded shape
From this reading Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.
a precautionary measure warding off impending danger or damage or injury etc.
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.
the quality or attribute of being firm and steadfast
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading There were better things than the support of the Legislative Council.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading There were better things than the support of the Legislative Council.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were better things than the support of the Legislative Council.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thank God, there's the Legislative Council, anyhow!" exclaimed Mr. Kilshaw.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading There were better things than the support of the Legislative Council.
two times
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading TWO HASTY UTTERANCES.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Sir Robert Perry pursed up his lips.
plural of “utterance” — the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading TWO HASTY UTTERANCES.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were better things than the support of the Legislative Council.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had fought with that safeguard of stability behind him once or twice before, and the end had been defeat.
Chapter 8 of Half a Hero: A Novel by Anthony Hope holds 140 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 140 sentences of Half a Hero: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Half a Hero: A Novel by Anthony Hope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 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 Half a Hero: A Novel by Anthony Hope on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22191 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22191, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 856 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Half a Hero: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Half a Hero: A Novel 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 Half a Hero: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
