Chapter 8 of The American Claimant is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The American Claimant is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“God bless my soul, Hawkins!” The morning paper dropped from the Colonel’s nerveless-grasp. “What is it?” “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!” “Who?”
Chapter 8 of The American Claimant is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
give a benediction to
From this reading ““God bless my soul, Hawkins!””
possessive form of “colonel” — a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading ““He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!””
endowed with talent or talents
From this reading ““He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!””
English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)
From this reading ““God bless my soul, Hawkins!””
widely known and esteemed
From this reading ““He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!””
superlative of “noble” — impressive in appearance
From this reading ““He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!””
totally unlikely
From this reading ““He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!””
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 “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
give a benediction to
From this reading “God bless my soul, Hawkins!”
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
possessive form of “colonel” — a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading The morning paper dropped from the Colonel’s nerveless-grasp.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading The morning paper dropped from the Colonel’s nerveless-grasp.
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The morning paper dropped from the Colonel’s nerveless-grasp.
endowed with talent or talents
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
a state of high honor
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
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 “God bless my soul, Hawkins!”
destroyed or killed
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)
From this reading “God bless my soul, Hawkins!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
widely known and esteemed
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is it?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it?”
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The morning paper dropped from the Colonel’s nerveless-grasp.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “God bless my soul, Hawkins!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morning paper dropped from the Colonel’s nerveless-grasp.
superlative of “noble” — impressive in appearance
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading The morning paper dropped from the Colonel’s nerveless-grasp.
any competition
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading “God bless my soul, Hawkins!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The morning paper dropped from the Colonel’s nerveless-grasp.
totally unlikely
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is it?”
which person or people
From this reading “Who?”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “He’s gone!—the bright, the young, the gifted, the noblest of his illustrious race—gone! gone up in flames and unimaginable glory!”
Chapter 8 of The American Claimant by Mark Twain holds 301 sentences, grouped into 61 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 301 sentences of The American Claimant, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The American Claimant by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 American Claimant by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3980 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3179 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3179, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 331 minutes of reading across 796 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The American Claimant section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The American Claimant 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 American Claimant, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
