Chapter 8 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed. "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned. "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap. That isn't going to open up their main defense for us. We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
Chapter 8 of The Defiant Agents is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading “We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."”
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading “That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.”
most important element
From this reading “That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.”
a compound lever used to crack nuts open
From this reading “We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."”
plural of “technician” — someone whose occupation involves training in a specific technical process
From this reading “"Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “"Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.”
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading “"We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.”
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “"It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.”
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 We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
at any time
From this reading We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
the act of departing
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
most important element
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
a compound lever used to crack nuts open
From this reading We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
successive (without a break)
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
express a supposition
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
plural of “technician” — someone whose occupation involves training in a specific technical process
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading "Suppose we do get some of their technicians into this trap.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading That isn't going to open up their main defense for us.
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We may have to chance it before we're through," Manulito warned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We may need a bigger nutcracker than we've ever seen."
plural of “weapon” — any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "It would be putting the weapons straight into Red hands," the other agreed.
Chapter 8 of The Defiant Agents by Andre Norton holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 438 sentences of The Defiant Agents, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Defiant Agents by Andre Norton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 Defiant Agents by Andre Norton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3953 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25550 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25550, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 329 minutes of reading across 791 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Defiant Agents section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Defiant Agents 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 Defiant Agents, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
