Chapter 8 of The Five Knots is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Five Knots is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell. He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled. "Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely. "Go and let him in. It is only Jansen."
Chapter 8 of The Five Knots is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading “Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.”
a peasant farmer in the Scottish Highlands
From this reading “Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.”
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading “Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “"Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely.”
a Dutch Roman Catholic theologian (1585-1638)
From this reading “It is only Jansen."”
with relatively high volume
From this reading “Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.”
being or made softer or less loud or clear
From this reading “Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.”
in a vicious manner
From this reading “"Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely.”
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.
a bell activated by the magnetic effect of an electric current
In this reading “Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.”
cause to become awake or conscious
In this reading “"Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely.”
In this reading “He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.”
In this reading “Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.”
In this reading “Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.”
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 Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
in a hopeless resigned manner
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
a peasant farmer in the Scottish Highlands
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go and let him in.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Go and let him in.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading "Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is only Jansen."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is only Jansen."
a Dutch Roman Catholic theologian (1585-1638)
From this reading It is only Jansen."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Go and let him in.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
with relatively high volume
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
being or made softer or less loud or clear
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
and nothing more
From this reading It is only Jansen."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely.
in a vicious manner
From this reading "Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Flower paused as an electric bell in the basement purred loudly and a sort of muffled cry came from Cotter as if he had been listening to his death-knell.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading "Wake up, idiot," Flower said savagely.
a Caucasian
From this reading He stood gazing abjectly into Flower’s face, his own white and sweat-bedabbled.
Chapter 8 of The Five Knots by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The Five Knots, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Five Knots by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Five Knots by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43492 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43492, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 432 minutes of reading across 1038 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Five Knots section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Five Knots 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 Five Knots, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
