Chapter 8 of Held for Orders is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Held for Orders is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews. Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?" The silent conductor turned to stone. "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it. They bought it and paid for it.
Chapter 8 of Held for Orders is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “They bought it and paid for it.”
plural of “buck” — a gymnastic horse without pommels and with one end elongated; used lengthwise for vaulting
From this reading “"What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.”
the person who leads a musical group
From this reading “The silent conductor turned to stone.”
to a great extent or degree
From this reading “Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"”
plural of “crew” — the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading “"What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.”
in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way
From this reading “"What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.”
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"”
take without the owner's consent
From this reading “"The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.”
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 “"What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.”
keep under careful scrutiny
In this reading “"What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.”
obtain, especially accidentally
In this reading “"What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.”
In this reading “"What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.”
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 Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
later than; following
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading They bought it and paid for it.
plural of “buck” — a gymnastic horse without pommels and with one end elongated; used lengthwise for vaulting
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
the person who leads a musical group
From this reading The silent conductor turned to stone.
to a great extent or degree
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
plural of “crew” — the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They bought it and paid for it.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
and nothing more
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
the force of workers available
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading They bought it and paid for it.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading The silent conductor turned to stone.
take without the owner's consent
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The silent conductor turned to stone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
create by training and teaching
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
a railroad employer who is in charge of a railway yard
From this reading Just at present I've got to lean considerably on a trainmaster, do you want the job?"
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The silent conductor turned to stone.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
which person or people
From this reading "The men who own the road are new men, Dave; they didn't steal it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What I want you to do, Dave," added Bucks evenly, "is to come into the office here with me and look after the train crews.
Chapter 8 of Held for Orders by Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of Held for Orders, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Held for Orders by Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Held for Orders by Frank H. (Frank Hamilton) Spearman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3257 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34365 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34365, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 271 minutes of reading across 652 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Held for Orders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Held for Orders 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 Held for Orders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
