Chapter 8 of Sylvia: A Novel is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Sylvia: A Novel is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I don’t care if they do.” “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.” “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me. I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly. I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
Chapter 8 of Sylvia: A Novel is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading ““Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.”
plural of “interest” — a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.”
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading “I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.”
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading ““But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.””
hear with intention
From this reading ““Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading ““Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading ““But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.””
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 “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “I don’t care if they do.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “I don’t care if they do.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t care if they do.”
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t care if they do.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “I don’t care if they do.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
plural of “interest” — a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.
in a keen or penetrating way
From this reading I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
hear with intention
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
and nothing more
From this reading I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I don’t care if they do.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading I’ve been thinking about it, and it interests me keenly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Please, Miss Castleman,” he hurried on, “please listen to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I believe that in you I might really have a friend—if only you would.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But _I_ care, Mr. van Tuiver—you should not have taken such a liberty.”
Chapter 8 of Sylvia: A Novel by Upton Sinclair holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Sylvia: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Sylvia: A Novel by Upton Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Sylvia: A Novel by Upton Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sylvia: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Sylvia: A Novel 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 Sylvia: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
