Chapter 8 of Invisible Links is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Invisible Links is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The coffee was ready. The women glided sedately forward to the table. They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last. But the wife did not see what was going on. Remorse made her quite beside herself.
Chapter 8 of Invisible Links is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
the application of heat to change something from a liquid to a gas
From this reading “They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.”
plural of “cup” — a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading “They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.”
in a decent manner
From this reading “They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.”
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading “The women glided sedately forward to the table.”
a compact mass
From this reading “They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.”
the branch of physics concerned with the motion of bodies in a frame of reference
From this reading “They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.”
in a sedate manner
From this reading “The women glided sedately forward to the table.”
a small drink
From this reading “They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.”
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 They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Remorse made her quite beside herself.
the application of heat to change something from a liquid to a gas
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the wife did not see what was going on.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading The coffee was ready.
plural of “cup” — a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
in a decent manner
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But the wife did not see what was going on.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The women glided sedately forward to the table.
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading The women glided sedately forward to the table.
the act of departing
From this reading But the wife did not see what was going on.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Remorse made her quite beside herself.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Remorse made her quite beside herself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
immediately past
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
a compact mass
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Remorse made her quite beside herself.
the branch of physics concerned with the motion of bodies in a frame of reference
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
plural of “mouth” — the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But the wife did not see what was going on.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But the wife did not see what was going on.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Remorse made her quite beside herself.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading The coffee was ready.
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading Remorse made her quite beside herself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
in a sedate manner
From this reading The women glided sedately forward to the table.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But the wife did not see what was going on.
without speaking
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
a small drink
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The women glided sedately forward to the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The coffee was ready.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The women glided sedately forward to the table.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The coffee was ready.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But the wife did not see what was going on.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading But the wife did not see what was going on.
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading They filled their cups, took a lump of sugar in their mouths and began to sip their boiling coffee, silently and decently, the wives of mechanics first, the scrub-women last.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The women glided sedately forward to the table.
Chapter 8 of Invisible Links by Selma Lagerlöf holds 442 sentences, grouped into 89 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 442 sentences of Invisible Links, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Invisible Links by Selma Lagerlöf exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 442 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Invisible Links by Selma Lagerlöf on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4762 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14273 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14273, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 396 minutes of reading across 953 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Invisible Links section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Invisible Links 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 Invisible Links, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
