Chapter 8 of The Cross-Cut is here in full — 305 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 Cross-Cut is here in full — 305 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping. And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious. "Drowned? Where 's his body?" "How do I know?"
Chapter 8 of The Cross-Cut is here in full — 305 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/61 · 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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading “And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.”
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading “The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.”
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading “"Drowned?”
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading “And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.”
-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.”
draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading “The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.”
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading “And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.”
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 And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
eagerly desirous
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Where 's his body?"
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "How do I know?"
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading "Drowned?
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Where 's his body?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How do I know?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "How do I know?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "How do I know?"
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
information about recent and important events
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
draw back, as with fear or pain
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Where 's his body?"
express in speech
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
be standing; be upright
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The news caused Fairchild to recoil and stand gasping.
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading And before he could speak, a new voice had cut in, one full of excitement, tremulous, anxious.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where 's his body?"
Chapter 8 of The Cross-Cut by Courtney Ryley Cooper holds 305 sentences, grouped into 61 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 305 sentences of The Cross-Cut, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Cross-Cut by Courtney Ryley Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 305 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 Cross-Cut by Courtney Ryley Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5534 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20104 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20104, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 461 minutes of reading across 1107 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cross-Cut section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Cross-Cut 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 Cross-Cut, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
