Chapter 8 of The Dynasts is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Dynasts is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[A long silence in the room. Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens. The second lady looks out.] SECOND LADY A straggler merely he.... But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
Chapter 8 of The Dynasts is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading “Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.”
plural of “citizen” — a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading “Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.”
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading “But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.”
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading “Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.”
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading “But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.”
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading “Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.”
someone who strays or falls behind
From this reading “SECOND LADY A straggler merely he....”
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 [A long silence in the room.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
plural of “citizen” — a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading SECOND LADY A straggler merely he....
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading [A long silence in the room.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading The second lady looks out.]
immediately past
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
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 [A long silence in the room.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading The second lady looks out.]
and nothing more
From this reading SECOND LADY A straggler merely he....
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
information about recent and important events
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
not any; not one
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The second lady looks out.]
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
a traveler who actively rides an animal (as a horse or camel)
From this reading Another rider is heard approaching, above the murmur of the gathering citizens.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading [A long silence in the room.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The second lady looks out.]
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading [A long silence in the room.
someone who strays or falls behind
From this reading SECOND LADY A straggler merely he....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [A long silence in the room.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But they decide, At last, to post his news, wild-winged or no.
Chapter 8 of The Dynasts by Thomas Hardy holds 362 sentences, grouped into 73 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 362 sentences of The Dynasts, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Dynasts by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 Dynasts by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4043 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4043, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1897 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dynasts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Dynasts 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 Dynasts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
