Chapter 8 of The Iron Trail is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Iron Trail is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dan shook the paper in his fist. "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded. "Hardly! I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer." She read: "'Stuff colorless.
Chapter 8 of The Iron Trail is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
past form of “cable” — send cables, wires, or telegrams
From this reading “I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."”
lacking in variety and interest
From this reading “She read: "'Stuff colorless.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.”
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading “Dan shook the paper in his fist.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “Dan shook the paper in his fist.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “Dan shook the paper in his fist.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “She read: "'Stuff colorless.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."
react verbally
From this reading I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
past form of “cable” — send cables, wires, or telegrams
From this reading I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."
lacking in variety and interest
From this reading She read: "'Stuff colorless.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dan shook the paper in his fist.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading Dan shook the paper in his fist.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
the act of departing
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
only a very short time before
From this reading "Hardly!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Dan shook the paper in his fist.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Dan shook the paper in his fist.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading I cabled the office this morning, and here's Drake's answer."
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Dan shook the paper in his fist.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading She read: "'Stuff colorless.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She read: "'Stuff colorless.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Dan shook the paper in his fist.
be standing; be upright
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading She read: "'Stuff colorless.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dan shook the paper in his fist.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you going to stand for this?" he demanded.
Chapter 8 of The Iron Trail by Rex Beach holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 416 sentences of The Iron Trail, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Iron Trail by Rex Beach exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Iron Trail by Rex Beach on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7492 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5233 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5233, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1499 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Iron Trail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Iron Trail 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 Iron Trail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
