Chapter 8 of Tales of fishes is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Tales of fishes is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Dolphin!" Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful. The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface. He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight. I never handled a fish more carefully.
Chapter 8 of Tales of fishes is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading “The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.”
large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas (especially around Hawaii)
From this reading “"Dolphin!"”
having a usually specified type of handle
From this reading “I never handled a fish more carefully.”
having or manifesting hope
From this reading “Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.”
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading “The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.”
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading “The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.”
move or stir about violently
From this reading “The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.”
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 He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading I never handled a fish more carefully.
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
large slender food and game fish widely distributed in warm seas (especially around Hawaii)
From this reading "Dolphin!"
any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
having a usually specified type of handle
From this reading I never handled a fish more carefully.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
having or manifesting hope
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never handled a fish more carefully.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I never handled a fish more carefully.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never handled a fish more carefully.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
move or stir about violently
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The fish sounded and ran in on me, then darted here and there, then began to leap and thresh upon the surface.
precisely as stated
From this reading He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sam was not so sure, but he looked mighty hopeful.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading He was hard to lead--a very strong fish for his light weight.
Chapter 8 of Tales of fishes by Zane Grey holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Tales of fishes, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Tales of fishes by Zane Grey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Tales of fishes by Zane Grey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5236 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29346 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29346, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 436 minutes of reading across 1048 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales of fishes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Tales of fishes 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 Tales of fishes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
