Chapter 8 of The Grip of Desire is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Grip of Desire is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
--Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five. --Reason the more. --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early. At fifteen I went to the Abbé Braqueminet's. --I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.
Chapter 8 of The Grip of Desire is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
having fair knowledge of
From this reading “--I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.”
a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
From this reading “--I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.”
having something undesirable neutralized
From this reading “--Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.”
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading “--That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading “At fifteen I went to the Abbé Braqueminet's.”
a .45-caliber pistol
From this reading “--Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “--That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.”
any plant of the genus Veronica
From this reading “--Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.”
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 --I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At fifteen I went to the Abbé Braqueminet's.
having fair knowledge of
From this reading --I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At fifteen I went to the Abbé Braqueminet's.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
From this reading --I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At fifteen I went to the Abbé Braqueminet's.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
having something undesirable neutralized
From this reading --Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading At fifteen I went to the Abbé Braqueminet's.
a .45-caliber pistol
From this reading --Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading --I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading --Reason the more.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading --Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading --Reason the more.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading --Reason the more.
being nine more than thirty
From this reading --Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At fifteen I went to the Abbé Braqueminet's.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading --That is true, Monsieur le Curé, but I began early.
any plant of the genus Veronica
From this reading --Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading --Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading At fifteen I went to the Abbé Braqueminet's.
which person or people
From this reading --Thirty-nine, corrected Veronica, who was past forty-five.
in the company of; together with
From this reading --I was acquainted with a Braqueminet, who was Bishop _in partibus_.
Chapter 8 of The Grip of Desire by Hector France holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of The Grip of Desire, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Grip of Desire by Hector France exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Grip of Desire by Hector France on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5987 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10963 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10963, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 498 minutes of reading across 1198 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Grip of Desire section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Grip of Desire 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 Grip of Desire, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
