Chapter 8 of The Dominant Strain is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Dominant Strain is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What is it, dear?" he asked. "Nothing, only--I wouldn't go." "But I can't get out of it. Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me." "I am sorry," she said quietly.
Chapter 8 of The Dominant Strain is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “"What is it, dear?" he asked.”
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading “Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."”
determine the number or amount of
From this reading “Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."”
dearly loved
From this reading “"What is it, dear?" he asked.”
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."”
with low volume
From this reading “"I am sorry," she said quietly.”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “"I am sorry," she said quietly.”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."”
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.
move out of or depart from
In this reading “"But I can't get out of it.”
judge to be probable
In this reading “Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."”
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 Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am sorry," she said quietly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What is it, dear?" he asked.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I can't get out of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But I can't get out of it.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
dearly loved
From this reading "What is it, dear?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "But I can't get out of it.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Nothing, only--I wouldn't go."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What is it, dear?" he asked.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Nothing, only--I wouldn't go."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it, dear?" he asked.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it, dear?" he asked.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing, only--I wouldn't go."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "But I can't get out of it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
and nothing more
From this reading "Nothing, only--I wouldn't go."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "But I can't get out of it.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
with low volume
From this reading "I am sorry," she said quietly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am sorry," she said quietly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I am sorry," she said quietly.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "I am sorry," she said quietly.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Dudley made a point of my being there, and I told him to count on me."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it, dear?" he asked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Nothing, only--I wouldn't go."
Chapter 8 of The Dominant Strain by Anna Chapin Ray holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Dominant Strain, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Dominant Strain by Anna Chapin Ray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Dominant Strain by Anna Chapin Ray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4980 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29760 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29760, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 996 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dominant Strain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Dominant Strain 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 Dominant Strain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
