Chapter 8 of Murder at Large is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Murder at Large is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Neil seemed to be considering that. Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid. His dry lips thinned perceptibly. Then, on a breath, he only said again: “Sydney.”
Chapter 8 of Murder at Large is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading “Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.”
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading “Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.”
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading “Neil seemed to be considering that.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.”
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading “Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.”
the largest Australian city located in southeastern Australia on the Tasman Sea; state capital of New South Wales; Australia's chief port
From this reading ““Sydney.””
mixed with water
From this reading “His dry lips thinned perceptibly.”
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading “Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.”
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 “His dry lips thinned perceptibly.”
In this reading “Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.”
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 Then, on a breath, he only said again:
anew
From this reading Then, on a breath, he only said again:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Neil seemed to be considering that.
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Then, on a breath, he only said again:
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading Neil seemed to be considering that.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading His dry lips thinned perceptibly.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, on a breath, he only said again:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading His dry lips thinned perceptibly.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Neil seemed to be considering that.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
and nothing more
From this reading Then, on a breath, he only said again:
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
in a noticeable manner
From this reading His dry lips thinned perceptibly.
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Then, on a breath, he only said again:
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Neil seemed to be considering that.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
the largest Australian city located in southeastern Australia on the Tasman Sea; state capital of New South Wales; Australia's chief port
From this reading “Sydney.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Neil seemed to be considering that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, on a breath, he only said again:
mixed with water
From this reading His dry lips thinned perceptibly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Neil seemed to be considering that.
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading Beads of perspiration stood out on his forehead, and on the backs of his hands lying weakly on the coverlid.
Chapter 8 of Murder at Large by Lesley Frost holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of Murder at Large, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Murder at Large by Lesley Frost exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Murder at Large by Lesley Frost on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3621 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53268 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53268, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 725 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Murder at Large section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Murder at Large 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 Murder at Large, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
