Chapter 8 of In a Yellow Wood is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of In a Yellow Wood is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He was surprised. She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him. “No, I didn’t think that,” he lied. “I have very warm memories,” she said lightly. He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
Chapter 8 of In a Yellow Wood is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading “He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.”
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading “She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.”
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading “He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.”
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading ““No, I didn’t think that,” he lied.”
without good reason
From this reading ““I have very warm memories,” she said lightly.”
Recollections of past events.
From this reading ““I have very warm memories,” she said lightly.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “He was surprised.”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading ““I have very warm memories,” she said lightly.”
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.
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 blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
(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 He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “No, I didn’t think that,” he lied.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was surprised.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “No, I didn’t think that,” he lied.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading “No, I didn’t think that,” he lied.
without good reason
From this reading “I have very warm memories,” she said lightly.
engage in
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
Recollections of past events.
From this reading “I have very warm memories,” she said lightly.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, I didn’t think that,” he lied.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I have very warm memories,” she said lightly.
express in words
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading He was surprised.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “No, I didn’t think that,” he lied.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “No, I didn’t think that,” he lied.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
precisely as stated
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading “I have very warm memories,” she said lightly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was surprised.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading She must have known him very well, he thought suddenly; he had forgotten how well she had known him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He blushed and hated himself but there was nothing he could do or say that would make it better.
Chapter 8 of In a Yellow Wood by Gore Vidal holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 429 sentences of In a Yellow Wood, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of In a Yellow Wood by Gore Vidal exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 In a Yellow Wood by Gore Vidal on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In a Yellow Wood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of In a Yellow Wood 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 In a Yellow Wood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
