Chapter 8 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror. I heard him moving, and I turned again quickly. I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear. But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face. He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
Chapter 8 of Sixes and Sevens is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading “He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.”
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading “I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.”
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading “I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.”
in motion
From this reading “I heard him moving, and I turned again quickly.”
to some extent; in some degree; not wholly
From this reading “But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.”
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading “I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.”
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading “I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.”
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading “I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.”
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 I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
anew
From this reading I heard him moving, and I turned again quickly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I heard him moving, and I turned again quickly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I heard him moving, and I turned again quickly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
ten 10s
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
set down according to a plan
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
in motion
From this reading I heard him moving, and I turned again quickly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
being eight more than ninety
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
and nothing more
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
above and across; more than
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
to some extent; in some degree; not wholly
From this reading But Tom had only turned partly over, and laid one arm across his face.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
with speed
From this reading I heard him moving, and I turned again quickly.
on the contrary
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
male cat
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I didn’t want a hundred and ninety-eight pounds falling on me from the rear.
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading I turned my back on Tom, and winked at myself in a mirror.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He spoke a few words rather more distinctly than before.
Chapter 8 of Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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.
Chapter 8 holds 194 sentences of Sixes and Sevens, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Sixes and Sevens by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4115 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2851 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2851, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 342 minutes of reading across 823 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sixes and Sevens section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Sixes and Sevens 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 Sixes and Sevens, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
