Chapter 8 of In the Midst of Alarms is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of In the Midst of Alarms is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.” “Not really?” asked the professor in surprise. “Yes, really. I knew it would astonish you. My chief pleasure in life, professor, is the surprising of you.
Chapter 8 of In the Midst of Alarms is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 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.
affect with wonder
From this reading “I knew it would astonish you.”
a happening that is distinctive in a series of related events
From this reading ““I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.””
a small natural hill
From this reading ““I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.””
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading ““I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.””
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading ““Not really?” asked the professor in surprise.”
a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats
From this reading ““I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.””
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading “My chief pleasure in life, professor, is the surprising of you.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading ““I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.””
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 “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
later than; following
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Not really?” asked the professor in surprise.
affect with wonder
From this reading I knew it would astonish you.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a person who is in charge
From this reading My chief pleasure in life, professor, is the surprising of you.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a happening that is distinctive in a series of related events
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a small natural hill
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I knew it would astonish you.
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading My chief pleasure in life, professor, is the surprising of you.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My chief pleasure in life, professor, is the surprising of you.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not really?” asked the professor in surprise.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My chief pleasure in life, professor, is the surprising of you.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading My chief pleasure in life, professor, is the surprising of you.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “Not really?” asked the professor in surprise.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Not really?” asked the professor in surprise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a cleansing agent made from the salts of vegetable or animal fats
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “Not really?” asked the professor in surprise.
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
From this reading My chief pleasure in life, professor, is the surprising of you.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
express in words
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I knew it would astonish you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, really.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I tell you what it is, Renny,” said Yates, a few days after the soap episode, as he swung in his hammock at the camp, “I’m learning something new every day.”
Chapter 8 of In the Midst of Alarms by Robert Barr holds 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 142 sentences of In the Midst of Alarms, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of In the Midst of Alarms by Robert Barr exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 the Midst of Alarms by Robert Barr on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5345 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9263 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9263, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 445 minutes of reading across 1069 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Midst of Alarms section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of In the Midst of Alarms 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 the Midst of Alarms, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
