Chapter 8 of On the Borderland is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of On the Borderland is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It only seems so to you because you have got old. It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive. He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark. “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily. “In any case, I refuse my permission!
Chapter 8 of On the Borderland is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading “He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.”
approval to do something
From this reading ““In any case, I refuse my permission!”
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading “It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.”
show unwillingness towards
From this reading ““In any case, I refuse my permission!”
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.”
with smiles; in a smiling manner
From this reading “It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.”
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading “He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.”
past form of “wince” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading “He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.”
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 winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.”
In this reading “It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.”
In this reading ““In any case, I refuse my permission!”
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.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “In any case, I refuse my permission!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
for the reason that
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
an occurrence of something
From this reading “In any case, I refuse my permission!
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “In any case, I refuse my permission!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “In any case, I refuse my permission!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
and nothing more
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
by chance
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
approval to do something
From this reading “In any case, I refuse my permission!
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
show unwillingness towards
From this reading “In any case, I refuse my permission!
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
with smiles; in a smiling manner
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Perhaps you will allow my experience to be the best judge,” he said, snappily.
past form of “wince” — draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading He winced under the unconscious cruelty of this remark.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It only seems so to you because you have got old.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading It isn’t difficult to us young people!” said Maisie, smilingly positive.
Chapter 8 of On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of On the Borderland, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6737 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65837 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65837, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 561 minutes of reading across 1348 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Borderland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of On the Borderland 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 On the Borderland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
