Chapter 8 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR. The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor. What shall I do? I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’ “I was completely upset.
Chapter 8 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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 authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading “The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading ““I was completely upset.”
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading “THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.”
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading “The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.”
past form of “sentence” — pronounce a sentence on (somebody) in a court of law
From this reading “THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.”
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading ““I was completely upset.”
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading “I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’”
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.
In this reading “THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.”
In this reading “I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “I was completely upset.
without stop or interruption
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’
having official authority or sanction
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading The official continued: “As the man left to do my bidding I said to myself: ‘He has gone to bring in my brother for me to sentence to hard labor.
past form of “sentence” — pronounce a sentence on (somebody) in a court of law
From this reading THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading What shall I do?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE BROTHER SENTENCED TO HARD LABOR.
disturb the balance or stability of
From this reading “I was completely upset.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I was completely upset.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What shall I do?
the words that are spoken
From this reading I do not feel as if I could utter the words.’
Chapter 8 of Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 116 sentences of Spirits Do Return, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3810 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57302 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57302, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 317 minutes of reading across 762 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Spirits Do Return section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Spirits Do Return 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 Spirits Do Return, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
