Chapter 8 of Messiah is here in full — 427 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 Messiah is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I was surprised too. He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them. It’s going to be murderous.” “I hope not for him.” “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
Chapter 8 of Messiah is here in full — 427 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.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading “He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.”
sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
From this reading “He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.”
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading ““Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....””
characteristic of or capable of or having a tendency toward killing another human being
From this reading “It’s going to be murderous.””
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading ““Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....””
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading ““I was surprised too.”
the day immediately before today
From this reading “He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.”
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 “He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It’s going to be murderous.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I hope not for him.”
the act of departing
From this reading It’s going to be murderous.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I hope not for him.”
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “I hope not for him.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I was surprised too.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s going to be murderous.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
characteristic of or capable of or having a tendency toward killing another human being
From this reading It’s going to be murderous.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I hope not for him.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “I was surprised too.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “Oh, he’ll convince, I’m sure of that: but their revenge....”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “I was surprised too.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I was surprised too.
the day immediately before today
From this reading He told me yesterday; he’d been brooding all day and, suddenly, he started to attack them.
Chapter 8 of Messiah by Gore Vidal holds 427 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 427 sentences of Messiah, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Messiah by Gore Vidal exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 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 Messiah by Gore Vidal on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
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 Messiah section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Messiah 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 Messiah, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
