Chapter 8 of The Eternal City is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Eternal City is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Beyond anything I possess." "Then how can I take it from you?" "There is only one person in the world I would give it to. She has it, and I am contented." It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
Chapter 8 of The Eternal City is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
From this reading “She has it, and I am contented."”
demanding attention
From this reading “It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.”
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading “It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.”
held up in the air
From this reading “It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.”
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading “It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.”
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.”
have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading “"Beyond anything I possess."”
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading “It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.”
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.
anew
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading She has it, and I am contented."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She has it, and I am contented."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
any thing at all
From this reading "Beyond anything I possess."
on the far side of; further than
From this reading "Beyond anything I possess."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Then how can I take it from you?"
satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
From this reading She has it, and I am contented."
demanding attention
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Then how can I take it from you?"
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She has it, and I am contented."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then how can I take it from you?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Beyond anything I possess."
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Then how can I take it from you?"
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
held up in the air
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
for more time
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
and nothing more
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
a human being
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
have as an attribute, knowledge, or skill
From this reading "Beyond anything I possess."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She has it, and I am contented."
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
carry out
From this reading "Then how can I take it from you?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then how can I take it from you?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It was impossible to hear the strain any longer without crying out, and to give physical expression to her feelings she lifted the portrait to her lips again and kissed and kissed it.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "There is only one person in the world I would give it to.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then how can I take it from you?"
Chapter 8 of The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 390 sentences of The Eternal City, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Eternal City by Hall, Sir Caine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12439 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2488 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eternal City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Eternal City 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 Eternal City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
