Chapter 8 of Soldiers of Fortune is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Soldiers of Fortune is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak." "Well, that was it. He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen. Oh! he is a fine man. He has done more exciting things--" "Who?
Chapter 8 of Soldiers of Fortune is here in full — 167 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading “"Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."”
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading “He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.”
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading “He has done more exciting things--" "Who?”
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “Oh! he is a fine man.”
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading “He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.”
hear with intention
From this reading “He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.”
being perceived or observed
From this reading “"Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."”
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “"Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."”
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 Oh! he is a fine man.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading He has done more exciting things--" "Who?
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading He has done more exciting things--" "Who?
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading Oh! he is a fine man.
set up or found
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He has done more exciting things--" "Who?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Oh! he is a fine man.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, that was it.
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
hear with intention
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
engage in
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Oh! he is a fine man.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He has done more exciting things--" "Who?
a form of address for a man
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
being perceived or observed
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh! he is a fine man.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
express in speech
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He has done more exciting things--" "Who?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He likes to talk about Mr. Clay, and I wanted to listen.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Well, that was it.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, that was it.
which person or people
From this reading He has done more exciting things--" "Who?
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes," assented her sister, "I noticed on the balcony that you seemed to have found some way to make him speak."
Chapter 8 of Soldiers of Fortune by Richard Harding Davis holds 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 167 sentences of Soldiers of Fortune, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Soldiers of Fortune by Richard Harding Davis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 167 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Soldiers of Fortune by Richard Harding Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3941 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #403 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #403, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Soldiers of Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Soldiers of Fortune 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 Soldiers of Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
