Chapter 8 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe. I was put in what was called the lockup. Each cottage possessed one. It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet. There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
Chapter 8 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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 small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading “It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.”
a branch of knowledge
From this reading “DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.”
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading “DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.”
jail in a local police station
From this reading “I was put in what was called the lockup.”
amounting to a large indefinite number
From this reading “There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.”
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading “There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.”
plural of “punishment” — the act of punishing
From this reading “DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.”
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading “DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.”
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.
a plate of steel
In this reading “There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.”
In this reading “It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.”
In this reading “It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.”
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 It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading I was put in what was called the lockup.
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
a small house with a single story
From this reading Each cottage possessed one.
a branch of knowledge
From this reading DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Each cottage possessed one.
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was put in what was called the lockup.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was put in what was called the lockup.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
jail in a local police station
From this reading I was put in what was called the lockup.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
amounting to a large indefinite number
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Each cottage possessed one.
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading Each cottage possessed one.
plural of “punishment” — the act of punishing
From this reading DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I was put in what was called the lockup.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading It was a narrow closet of a room about five by seven feet.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was put in what was called the lockup.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
under normal conditions
From this reading DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was put in what was called the lockup.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading DISCIPLINE Punishments for escaping were usually severe.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I was put in what was called the lockup.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading There wasn’t a sign of a window in it, the door was made of several thicknesses of wood, reenforced by numerous steel plates.
Chapter 8 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld by Wellington Scott holds 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 63 sentences of Seventeen Years in the Underworld, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Seventeen Years in the Underworld by Wellington Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Seventeen Years in the Underworld by Wellington Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1101 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56443, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 91 minutes of reading across 221 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Seventeen Years in the Underworld section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Seventeen Years in the Underworld 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 Seventeen Years in the Underworld, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
