Chapter 8 of Sweet Mace: A Sussex Legend of the Iron Times is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Sweet Mace: A Sussex Legend of the Iron Times is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side. "I hope so. Oh, yes! They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in. Row hard: never mind me."
Chapter 8 of Sweet Mace: A Sussex Legend of the Iron Times is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “collar” — a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading “"But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.”
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.”
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “"But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.”
understanding with difficulty
From this reading “"But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.”
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading “They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.”
a public toilet for men
From this reading “"But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.”
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading “"But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.”
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading “Row hard: never mind me."”
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 can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
plural of “collar” — a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
one or the other of two
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
understanding with difficulty
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Row hard: never mind me."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I hope so.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I hope so.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
a public toilet for men
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Row hard: never mind me."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Row hard: never mind me."
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, yes!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading Row hard: never mind me."
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I hope so.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
during the time that
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They can't drag me out of the boat, but it would be madness to try and drag them in.
an affirmative
From this reading Oh, yes!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But can you hold them?" cried Father Brisdone, as he obeyed his companion, and gazed at him the while, seated with hands grasping the two men's collars, one on either side.
Chapter 8 of Sweet Mace: A Sussex Legend of the Iron Times by George Manville Fenn holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of Sweet Mace: A Sussex Legend of the Iron Times, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Sweet Mace: A Sussex Legend of the Iron Times by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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.
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Yes. All 7477 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34490 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34490, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1496 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Sweet Mace: A Sussex Legend of the Iron Times, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
