Chapter 8 of Round Anvil Rock: A Romance is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Round Anvil Rock: A Romance is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David. Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears. "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded. "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb. Why don't you speak?
Chapter 8 of Round Anvil Rock: A Romance is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.”
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading “"I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.”
of or belonging to or characteristic of this earth as distinguished from heaven
From this reading “"I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.”
a short vivid experience
From this reading “Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.”
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading “Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.”
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “"Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.”
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 "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why don't you speak?
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
of or belonging to or characteristic of this earth as distinguished from heaven
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
a short vivid experience
From this reading Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.
express in words
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
be seated
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.
express in speech
From this reading Why don't you speak?
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
a special situation
From this reading "I knew you didn't know the first earthly thing about love, but I didn't know you were dumb.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Saying this, Ruth turned suddenly upon David.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her soft eyes were flashing through her tears.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why do you sit there like a stone and never say a word!" she demanded.
Chapter 8 of Round Anvil Rock: A Romance by Nancy Huston Banks holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Round Anvil Rock: A Romance, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Round Anvil Rock: A Romance by Nancy Huston Banks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Round Anvil Rock: A Romance by Nancy Huston Banks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4685 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11379 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11379, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 390 minutes of reading across 937 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Round Anvil Rock: A Romance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Round Anvil Rock: A Romance 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 Round Anvil Rock: A Romance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
