Chapter 8 of The Broken Thread is here in full — 425 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 The Broken Thread is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler. "Aren't you feeling well, Sir Raife?" Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you." "I hope, Sir Raife, you've had a pleasant holiday, sir. We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
Chapter 8 of The Broken Thread is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading “The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.”
take in liquids
From this reading “The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.”
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading “The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.”
plural of “gulp” — a large and hurried swallow
From this reading “Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."”
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading “The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.”
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “"I hope, Sir Raife, you've had a pleasant holiday, sir.”
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading “The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.”
a gymnast who performs rolls and somersaults and twists etc.
From this reading “The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.”
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 The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
anew
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aren't you feeling well, Sir Raife?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
take in liquids
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
having an eye or eyes or eyelike feature especially as specified; often used in combination
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading "Aren't you feeling well, Sir Raife?"
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
plural of “gulp” — a large and hurried swallow
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I hope, Sir Raife, you've had a pleasant holiday, sir.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading "I hope, Sir Raife, you've had a pleasant holiday, sir.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I hope, Sir Raife, you've had a pleasant holiday, sir.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I hope, Sir Raife, you've had a pleasant holiday, sir.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
and nothing more
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading "I hope, Sir Raife, you've had a pleasant holiday, sir.
in a quizzical and questioning manner
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aren't you feeling well, Sir Raife?"
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Aren't you feeling well, Sir Raife?"
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
a gymnast who performs rolls and somersaults and twists etc.
From this reading The old man eyed his master quizzically as he handed him the cool drink in a long, sparkling tumbler.
precisely as stated
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are all very glad to see you back again, sir."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Aren't you feeling well, Sir Raife?"
an affirmative
From this reading Between gulps, Raife replied: "Oh, yes, Edgson, only a bit tired, thank you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Aren't you feeling well, Sir Raife?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I hope, Sir Raife, you've had a pleasant holiday, sir.
Chapter 8 of The Broken Thread by William Le Queux holds 425 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 425 sentences of The Broken Thread, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Broken Thread by William Le Queux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 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 The Broken Thread by William Le Queux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4218 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41459 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41459, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 844 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Broken Thread section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Broken Thread 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 Broken Thread, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
