Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ARNOLD. No, I won't do that. But I'll give you cause to divorce me. ELIZABETH. You!
The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
ARNOLD.
No,
I
won't
do
that.
But
I'll
give
you
cause
to
divorce
me.
ELIZABETH.
You!
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
ARNOLD.
/ˈɑːrnəld/
Line 2
No,
I
won't
do
that.
Line 3
But
I'll
give
you
cause
to
divorce
me.
Line 4
ELIZABETH.
/ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/
Line 5
You!
/juː/
Learner Dictionary
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.
arnold
noun
US /ˈɑːrnəld/
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading “ARNOLD.”
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading “But I'll give you cause to divorce me.”
divorce
verb
US /dɪˈvɔːrs/
part; cease or break association with
From this reading “But I'll give you cause to divorce me.”
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading “ELIZABETH.”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “But I'll give you cause to divorce me.”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
All words in this reading · 15
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.
ARNOLDnounUS /ˈɑːrnəld/
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading ARNOLD.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I'll give you cause to divorce me.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading But I'll give you cause to divorce me.
divorceverbUS /dɪˈvɔːrs/
part; cease or break association with
From this reading But I'll give you cause to divorce me.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading No, I won't do that.
daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading ELIZABETH.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading But I'll give you cause to divorce me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading No, I won't do that.
I'll
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I'll give you cause to divorce me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But I'll give you cause to divorce me.
not any; not one
From this reading No, I won't do that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No, I won't do that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But I'll give you cause to divorce me.
won't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, I won't do that.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But I'll give you cause to divorce me.
Chapter 8 of The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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.
What does chapter 8 of The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts contain?
Chapter 8 holds 434 sentences of The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts by W. Somerset (William Somerset) Maugham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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.
How do I study chapter 8 of The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts?
Work through the 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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.
Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?
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.
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Vocabulary met early in The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Circle: A Comedy in Three Acts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Chapter 1
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- Chapter 3
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