Chapter 8 of The Affair of the Brains is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Affair of the Brains is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand. He knew that voice. He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders. "Carse!" he exclaimed. "Thank God, you're alive!"
Chapter 8 of The Affair of the Brains is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
possessing life
From this reading “"Thank God, you're alive!"”
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading “_Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.”
plural of “claw” — sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.”
a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences
From this reading “_Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “_Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.”
the act of diluting something
From this reading “_Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.”
a shaky motion
From this reading “_Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.”
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 _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
possessing life
From this reading "Thank God, you're alive!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Carse!" he exclaimed.
plural of “claw” — sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Carse!" he exclaimed.
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Thank God, you're alive!"
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew that voice.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew that voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
above and across; more than
From this reading He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
a person with advanced knowledge of one or more sciences
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank God, you're alive!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew that voice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
the act of diluting something
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
a shaky motion
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He knew that voice.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He walked over and put his hands on his friend's shoulders.
a Caucasian
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
in the company of; together with
From this reading _Dr. Ku Shows His Claws_ The scientist brushed back his thinning white hair with a trembling hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Thank God, you're alive!"
Chapter 8 of The Affair of the Brains by Anthony Gilmore holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 143 sentences of The Affair of the Brains, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Affair of the Brains by Anthony Gilmore exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 The Affair of the Brains by Anthony Gilmore on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1690 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29310 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29310, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 140 minutes of reading across 338 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Affair of the Brains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Affair of the Brains 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 The Affair of the Brains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
