Chapter 8 of The Impossibles is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Impossibles is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question. And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe. But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly. Commissioner," Malone said. "How about those crimes?
Chapter 8 of The Impossibles is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
a government administrator
From this reading “Commissioner," Malone said.”
plural of “crime” — (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading “"How about those crimes?”
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.”
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading “And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.”
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading “And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.”
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading “But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.”
not returned in kind
From this reading “"What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "How about those crimes?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
react verbally
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
a government administrator
From this reading Commissioner," Malone said.
plural of “crime” — (criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading "How about those crimes?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How about those crimes?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "How about those crimes?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
not returned in kind
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
at the time that
From this reading But when I come up with enough facts to answer it--" "Don't be silly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What you'd have to do with them," Fernack said, "is an unanswered question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And so long as it remains unanswered, Malone, you're safe.
Chapter 8 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of The Impossibles, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Impossibles by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Impossibles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Impossibles 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 Impossibles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
