Chapter 8 of The Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.” Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle. McPherson sighed softly. “I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said. “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
Chapter 8 of The Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
third-person singular of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading ““Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.””
teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports
From this reading ““Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.””
possessive form of “engine” — motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading “Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.”
United States evangelist (born in Canada) noted for her extravagant religious services (1890-1944)
From this reading “McPherson sighed softly.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading ““I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.”
sharp piercing cry
From this reading “Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.”
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading ““I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.”
make whistling sounds
From this reading “Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.”
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.
In this reading “McPherson sighed softly.”
In this reading ““Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.””
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading “I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
eagerly desirous
From this reading “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
third-person singular of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
possessive form of “engine” — motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
divisible by two
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
United States evangelist (born in Canada) noted for her extravagant religious services (1890-1944)
From this reading McPherson sighed softly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
sharp piercing cry
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading McPherson sighed softly.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading “I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.
with low volume
From this reading McPherson sighed softly.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
express in words
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
create by training and teaching
From this reading “I'm afraid Mr. Smith has missed his train,” he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And I think he was quite anxious to catch it.”
at the time that
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
make whistling sounds
From this reading Even as he spoke they heard the shriek of the engine's whistle.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading “Oh, Mr. Ames,” he said, “look from the window and tell me when the coach from the hotel arrives.”
Chapter 8 of The Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories by Vaughan Kester holds 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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 381 sentences of The Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories by Vaughan Kester exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories by Vaughan Kester on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6531 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52563 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52563, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 544 minutes of reading across 1307 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories 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 Hand of the Mighty, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
