Chapter 8 of The House of Souls 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 House of Souls is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Austin put down the paper in mute horror. 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares. How awful this is, Villiers!' Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street. He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
Chapter 8 of The House of Souls 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.
with attention; in an attentive manner
From this reading “He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.”
state capital of Texas on the Colorado River; site of the University of Texas
From this reading “Austin put down the paper in mute horror.”
an indirect suggestion
From this reading “He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “Austin put down the paper in mute horror.”
doubt concerning two or more possible alternatives or courses of action
From this reading “He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “Austin put down the paper in mute horror.”
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading “He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.”
plural of “nightmare” — a situation resembling a terrifying dream
From this reading “'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.”
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 shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
with attention; in an attentive manner
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
state capital of Texas on the Colorado River; site of the University of Texas
From this reading Austin put down the paper in mute horror.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading How awful this is, Villiers!'
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Austin put down the paper in mute horror.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
an indirect suggestion
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
intense and profound fear
From this reading Austin put down the paper in mute horror.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How awful this is, Villiers!'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Austin put down the paper in mute horror.
doubt concerning two or more possible alternatives or courses of action
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
go away from a place
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
for more time
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
expressed without speech
From this reading Austin put down the paper in mute horror.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
plural of “nightmare” — a situation resembling a terrifying dream
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
not any; not one
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Austin put down the paper in mute horror.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Austin put down the paper in mute horror.
with low volume
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Austin put down the paper in mute horror.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading How awful this is, Villiers!'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had listened to the newspaper report attentively, and the hint of indecision was no longer on his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I shall leave London to-morrow,' he said, 'it is a city of nightmares.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How awful this is, Villiers!'
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
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 Mr. Villiers was sitting by the window quietly looking out into the street.
Chapter 8 of The House of Souls by Arthur Machen 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 House of Souls, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The House of Souls by Arthur Machen 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 House of Souls by Arthur Machen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3621 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25016 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25016, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 725 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The House of Souls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The House of Souls 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 House of Souls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
