Chapter 8 of Sweet Rocket is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Sweet Rocket is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows. "There is Brother Robinson," said Marget. Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia. He said, "Mr. Robinson--friends, all of us!" The circle widened.
Chapter 8 of Sweet Rocket is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “The circle widened.”
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading “Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.”
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading “Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.”
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading “Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.”
someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel
From this reading “Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.”
English chemist noted for his studies of molecular structures in plants (1886-1975)
From this reading “"There is Brother Robinson," said Marget.”
past form of “widen” — become broader or wider or more extensive
From this reading “The circle widened.”
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading “Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.”
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.
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 Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He said, "Mr. Robinson--friends, all of us!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "There is Brother Robinson," said Marget.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading The circle widened.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading He said, "Mr. Robinson--friends, all of us!"
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There is Brother Robinson," said Marget.
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There is Brother Robinson," said Marget.
a form of address for a man
From this reading He said, "Mr. Robinson--friends, all of us!"
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He said, "Mr. Robinson--friends, all of us!"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.
someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
English chemist noted for his studies of molecular structures in plants (1886-1975)
From this reading "There is Brother Robinson," said Marget.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There is Brother Robinson," said Marget.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is Brother Robinson," said Marget.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He said, "Mr. Robinson--friends, all of us!"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
past form of “widen” — become broader or wider or more extensive
From this reading The circle widened.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without, in the night, a lantern passed the windows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Richard went out--they heard his voice in the hall--then he returned with the negro preacher and Zinia.
Chapter 8 of Sweet Rocket by Mary Johnston holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of Sweet Rocket, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Sweet Rocket by Mary Johnston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Sweet Rocket by Mary Johnston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3629 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56101 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56101, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 302 minutes of reading across 726 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sweet Rocket section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Sweet Rocket 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 Sweet Rocket, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
