Chapter 8 of The defender is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The defender is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident. It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident. “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know. “Are not they the same as sheep?” “Yes and no,” Turgen answered.
Chapter 8 of The defender is here in full — 70 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.”
in the past
From this reading “It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.”
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading “It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.”
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading “It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.”
a single distinct event
From this reading “It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.”
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading “The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.”
plural of “ram” — the most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on
From this reading “The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.”
woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat
From this reading ““Are not they the same as sheep?””
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 “It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.”
In this reading “The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.”
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 mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
in the past
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
(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 It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Yes and no,” Turgen answered.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Yes and no,” Turgen answered.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Are not they the same as sheep?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Are not they the same as sheep?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
a single distinct event
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
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 It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
not any; not one
From this reading “Yes and no,” Turgen answered.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Are not they the same as sheep?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
plural of “ram” — the most common computer memory which can be used by programs to perform necessary tasks while the computer is on
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
Identical; not different.
From this reading “Are not they the same as sheep?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know.
woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat
From this reading “Are not they the same as sheep?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Are not they the same as sheep?”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes and no,” Turgen answered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mountain rams had become a part of Turgen’s life almost by accident.
up to a particular time
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It all began so long ago that he never gave thought to it until one day Marfa out of curiosity asked him a question which brought to mind an almost forgotten incident.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes and no,” Turgen answered.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why do you call them rams?” she wanted to know.
Chapter 8 of The defender by Nicholas Kalashnikoff holds 70 sentences, grouped into 14 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 70 sentences of The defender, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The defender by Nicholas Kalashnikoff exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 70 sentences, grouped into 14 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 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 14 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 defender by Nicholas Kalashnikoff on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The defender section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The defender 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 defender, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
