Chapter 8 of In Vain 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 Vain is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love. He returned late at night. The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water. Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east. There was music in the air and music in Yosef's breast.
Chapter 8 of In Vain 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.
a structural member used to stiffen a framework
From this reading “The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.”
capital of the state of Montana; located in western Montana
From this reading “Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.”
become covered with mist
From this reading “Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.”
not agitated; without losing self-possession
From this reading “The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.”
plural of “streak” — an unbroken series of events
From this reading “Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.”
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading “Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.”
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading “Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.”
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.
move away from a place into another direction
In this reading “Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.”
In this reading “Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.”
In this reading “He returned late at night.”
on everybody's mind
In this reading “There was music in the air and music in Yosef's breast.”
In this reading “Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.”
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 The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
later than; following
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading There was music in the air and music in Yosef's breast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He returned late at night.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
a structural member used to stiffen a framework
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading There was music in the air and music in Yosef's breast.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
a river that rises in Russia near Smolensk and flowing south through Belarus and Ukraine to empty into the Black Sea
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He returned late at night.
capital of the state of Montana; located in western Montana
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading He returned late at night.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
become covered with mist
From this reading Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading There was music in the air and music in Yosef's breast.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He returned late at night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He returned late at night.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
not agitated; without losing self-possession
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
plural of “streak” — an unbroken series of events
From this reading Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was music in the air and music in Yosef's breast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was music in the air and music in Yosef's breast.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The stars were twinkling on a serene sky; from the Dnieper came the cool, but bracing breath of water.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading Light streaks of mist wound in a long line on the east.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yosef, according to his promise given Gustav, visited Helena, and after the second visit went away in love.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was music in the air and music in Yosef's breast.
Chapter 8 of In Vain by Henryk Sienkiewicz 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 Vain, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of In Vain by Henryk Sienkiewicz 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 Vain by Henryk Sienkiewicz on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3217 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46454 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46454, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 268 minutes of reading across 644 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In Vain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of In Vain 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 Vain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
