Chapter 17 of Pieces of Eight is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Pieces of Eight is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning. He was very serious. For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias. But it was only duck. He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
Chapter 17 of Pieces of Eight is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
in a state of sleep
From this reading “For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.”
the act of breaking something
From this reading “_Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.”
the first light of day
From this reading “_Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.”
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading “But it was only duck.”
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading “He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.”
scrape with the paws
From this reading “_Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “He was very serious.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.”
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 For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
in a state of sleep
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
the act of breaking something
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was only duck.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
the first light of day
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was very serious.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
restless or short-tempered under delay or opposition
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was only duck.
and nothing more
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
engage in
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
information about recent and important events
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
and nothing more
From this reading But it was only duck.
scrape with the paws
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading He was very serious.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
not in physical motion
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had heard a great quacking during the night, and was impatient to make a start.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading For a moment, as I sat up, still half asleep, I thought he had news of Tobias.
precisely as stated
From this reading He was very serious.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Duck._ Dawn was just breaking as I felt Charlie's great paw on my shoulder next morning.
Chapter 17 of Pieces of Eight by Richard Le Gallienne holds 43 sentences, grouped into 9 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 17 holds 43 sentences of Pieces of Eight, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Pieces of Eight by Richard Le Gallienne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 43 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 17 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 Pieces of Eight by Richard Le Gallienne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3130 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17741 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17741, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 260 minutes of reading across 626 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Pieces of Eight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Pieces of Eight 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 Pieces of Eight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
