Chapter 8 of The High Heart is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The High Heart is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life. I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me. As a rule, I don't cry easily. I did it now chiefly from being overwrought. I was desolate.
Chapter 8 of The High Heart is here in full — 448 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
for the most part
From this reading “I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.”
demanding attention
From this reading “I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.”
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading “I was desolate.”
highest in quality
From this reading “An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.”
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading “I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.”
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.”
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading “As a rule, I don't cry easily.”
hidden from general view or use
From this reading “I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.”
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 “I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.”
In this reading “I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.”
In this reading “An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.”
In this reading “I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.”
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 As a rule, I don't cry easily.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As a rule, I don't cry easily.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
for the most part
From this reading I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading As a rule, I don't cry easily.
demanding attention
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading I was desolate.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As a rule, I don't cry easily.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading As a rule, I don't cry easily.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.
highest in quality
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
held dear
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading I did it now chiefly from being overwrought.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading As a rule, I don't cry easily.
hidden from general view or use
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading An hour later I had what up to then I must call the greatest surprise of my life.
in or at the place that
From this reading I was crying by myself on the shore, in that secluded corner among the rocks where Hugh had first told me that he loved me.
Chapter 8 of The High Heart by Basil King holds 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 448 sentences of The High Heart, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The High Heart by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 448 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 High Heart by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8002 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35463 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35463, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1601 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The High Heart section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The High Heart 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 High Heart, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
