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Roughing It
Roughing It

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Roughing It is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Roughing It
Context Illustration Reading 1/74 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.
We went out prospecting with Mr. Ballou.
We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silvernor yet any gold.
Day after day we did this.
Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Roughing It

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of Roughing It is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/74 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.
/truː ˈnɑːlədʒ ʌv ðə ˈneɪtʃər ʌv ˈsɪlvər ˈmaɪnɪŋ keɪm fæst ɪˈnʌf/
Line 2
We went outprospectingwith Mr. Ballou.
Line 3
We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silvernor yet any gold.
Line 4
Day after day we did this.
/deɪ ˈæftər deɪ wiː dɪd ðɪs/
Line 5
Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

Learner Dictionary

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.

abandoned adjective US /əˈbændənd/

forsaken by owner or inhabitants

From this reading “Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.”

burrowing verb US /ˈbɜːroʊɪŋ/

-ing form of “burrow” — move through by or as by digging

From this reading “Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.”

clambered verb US /ˈklæmbərd/

past form of “clamber” — climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling

From this reading “We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.”

exhaustion noun US /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/

extreme fatigue

From this reading “We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.”

holes noun US /hoʊlz/

plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something

From this reading “Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.”

listless adjective US /ˈlɪstləs/

lacking zest or vivacity

From this reading “Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.”

mining noun US /ˈmaɪnɪŋ/

the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth

From this reading “True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.”

prospecting verb US /ˌprɔːˈspektɪŋ/

-ing form of “prospect” — search for something desirable

From this reading “We went out “prospecting” with Mr. Ballou.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

abandonedadjectiveUS /əˈbændənd/

forsaken by owner or inhabitants

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Day after day we did this.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

apparentlyadverbUS /əˈperəntli/

from appearances alone

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

Ballou

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We went out “prospecting” with Mr. Ballou.

burrowed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

burrowingverbUS /ˈbɜːroʊɪŋ/

-ing form of “burrow” — move through by or as by digging

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

clamberedverbUS /ˈklæmbərd/

past form of “clamber” — climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

climbedverbUS /klaɪmd/

past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

DaynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Day after day we did this.

declivities

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Day after day we did this.

dropverbUS /drɑːp/

let fall to the ground

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

exhaustionnounUS /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/

extreme fatigue

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

fastadverbUS /fæst/

quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

goldnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

holesnounUS /hoʊlz/

plural of “hole” — an opening into or through something

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

knowledgenounUS /ˈnɑːlədʒ/

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

listlessadjectiveUS /ˈlɪstləs/

lacking zest or vivacity

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

miningnounUS /ˈmaɪnɪŋ/

the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

mountainnounUS /ˈmaʊntən/

a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading We went out “prospecting” with Mr. Ballou.

naturenounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading We went out “prospecting” with Mr. Ballou.

prospectingverbUS /ˌprɔːˈspektɪŋ/

-ing form of “prospect” — search for something desirable

From this reading We went out “prospecting” with Mr. Ballou.

readyadjectiveUS /ˈredi/

completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

rocksnounUS /rɑːks/

plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

sage-brush

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

sidesnounUS /saɪdz/

plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

silvernounUS /ˈsɪlvər/

a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

snownounUS /snoʊ/

precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Day after day we did this.

tillprepositionUS /tɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

TrueadjectiveUS /truː/

consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading True knowledge of the nature of silver mining came fast enough.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Now and then we came upon holes burrowed a few feet into the declivities and apparently abandoned; and now and then we found one or two listless men still burrowing.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We went out “prospecting” with Mr. Ballou.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading We went out “prospecting” with Mr. Ballou.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading We went out “prospecting” with Mr. Ballou.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading We climbed the mountain sides, and clambered among sage-brush, rocks and snow till we were ready to drop with exhaustion, but found no silver—nor yet any gold.

Chapter 8 of Roughing It by Mark Twain holds 371 sentences, grouped into 75 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 8 of Roughing It contain?

Chapter 8 holds 371 sentences of Roughing It, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Roughing It by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 371 sentences, grouped into 75 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of Roughing It?

Work through the 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 75 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Roughing It

Common questions about reading Roughing It by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Roughing It?

Yes. All 7335 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3177 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Roughing It is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3177, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Roughing It take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1467 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Roughing It section by section

How to work through Roughing It section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of Roughing It to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Roughing It

Words and structures a reader meets early in Roughing It, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

California
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Roughing It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Again
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Roughing It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Great
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Roughing It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Changes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Roughing It; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.