Chapter 8 of The Gorilla Hunters is here in full — 418 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 Gorilla Hunters is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What a magnificent fellow! And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last. "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa. It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_." "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
Chapter 8 of The Gorilla Hunters is here in full — 418 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.
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading “"Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.”
(comparative of “fine”) greater in quality or excellence
From this reading “"Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.”
a small worthless amount
From this reading “"Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “"Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."”
large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading “"Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.”
occurring by chance
From this reading “It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."”
characterized by grandeur
From this reading “"What a magnificent fellow!”
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading “And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last.”
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 "What a magnificent fellow!
the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last.
a boy or man
From this reading "What a magnificent fellow!
(comparative of “fine”) greater in quality or excellence
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
a small worthless amount
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
immediately past
From this reading And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last.
large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
occurring by chance
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
characterized by grandeur
From this reading "What a magnificent fellow!
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading And what a splendid shot!" exclaimed Peterkin at last.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What a magnificent fellow!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, Jack, I don't believe there's a finer lion in Africa.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," said I; "had it not been for you we might have been all killed by this time."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It's lucky, though, that you were on the _qui vive_."
Chapter 8 of The Gorilla Hunters by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 418 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 418 sentences of The Gorilla Hunters, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Gorilla Hunters by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 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 Gorilla Hunters by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4151 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21736 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21736, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 831 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gorilla Hunters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Gorilla Hunters 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 Gorilla Hunters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
