Chapter 8 of Streets of Night is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Streets of Night is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly. "Almost everything is that." "Why can't we be sensible?" "It's not sensible, it's alive I'd want to be ... But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
Chapter 8 of Streets of Night is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
gymnastic apparatus consisting of two parallel wooden rods supported on uprights
From this reading “"Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.”
the trait of lacking courage
From this reading “"Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.”
in a harsh or unkind manner
From this reading “But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.”
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading “But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.”
plural of “rib” — support resembling the rib of an animal
From this reading “"Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.”
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading “"Why can't we be sensible?"”
-ing form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.”
pulsate or pound with abnormal force
From this reading “"Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.”
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 “But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.”
In this reading “"Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “"Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.”
In this reading “But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.”
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 "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
later than; following
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
possessing life
From this reading "It's not sensible, it's alive I'd want to be ...
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "Almost everything is that."
gymnastic apparatus consisting of two parallel wooden rods supported on uprights
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Why can't we be sensible?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why can't we be sensible?"
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
the trait of lacking courage
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
in a harsh or unkind manner
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's not sensible, it's alive I'd want to be ...
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Almost everything is that."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
and nothing more
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It's not sensible, it's alive I'd want to be ...
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
by chance
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
plural of “rib” — support resembling the rib of an animal
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading "Why can't we be sensible?"
in a disgusting manner or to a disgusting degree
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
-ing form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Almost everything is that."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
pulsate or pound with abnormal force
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It's not sensible, it's alive I'd want to be ...
a shaky motion
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "It's not sensible, it's alive I'd want to be ...
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Why can't we be sensible?"
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why can't we be sensible?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading But this is repeating," he said harshly with trembling lips, straightening himself up.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading "Or perhaps it's just cowardice," he went on after a long pause, feeling everything within the cold bars of his ribs throb sickeningly.
Chapter 8 of Streets of Night by John Dos Passos holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of Streets of Night, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Streets of Night by John Dos Passos exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Streets of Night by John Dos Passos on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5133 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61395 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61395, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 427 minutes of reading across 1027 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Streets of Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Streets of Night 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 Streets of Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
