Chapter 8 of The Brightener is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Brightener is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said. "Empty?" I gasped. "Not empty. No. There was something there.
Chapter 8 of The Brightener is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading “THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.”
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
make void or empty of contents
From this reading “"Empty?"”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “I gasped.”
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “No. There was something there.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.”
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.
In this reading “THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.”
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.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading "Empty?"
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading I gasped.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I gasped.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
not any; not one
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not empty.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading No. There was something there.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
in or at that place or location
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE GREAT SURPRISE "_There was no body in the coffin_," Roger said.
Chapter 8 of The Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 148 sentences of The Brightener, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6165 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32428 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32428, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 513 minutes of reading across 1233 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Brightener section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Brightener 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 Brightener, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
