Chapter 8 of The Brothers Karamazov is here in full — 604 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Brothers Karamazov is here in full — 604 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.” “You understand the first half. That half is a drama, and it was played out there. The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.” “And I understand nothing of that second half so far,” said Alyosha.
Chapter 8 of The Brothers Karamazov is here in full — 604 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/120 · 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 “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.””
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading “The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.””
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading “That half is a drama, and it was played out there.”
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading “The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.””
having or expressing strong emotions
From this reading “The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.””
(of games) engaged in
From this reading “That half is a drama, and it was played out there.”
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.””
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.””
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 Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.”
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading “And I understand nothing of that second half so far,” said Alyosha.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “And I understand nothing of that second half so far,” said Alyosha.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
having or expressing strong emotions
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
(of games) engaged in
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “And I understand nothing of that second half so far,” said Alyosha.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading The second half is a tragedy, and it is being acted here.”
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The Confession Of A Passionate Heart—“Heels Up” “Now,” said Alyosha, “I understand the first half.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That half is a drama, and it was played out there.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You understand the first half.
Chapter 8 of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky holds 604 sentences, grouped into 121 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 604 sentences of The Brothers Karamazov, unabridged, divided into 121 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 604 sentences, grouped into 121 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 121 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 121 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 Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 23728 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28054 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28054, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 4746 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Brothers Karamazov section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Brothers Karamazov 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 Brothers Karamazov, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
