Chapter 8 of The Mercenary is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Mercenary is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
INTERLACING DESTINIES. Nigel looked ruefully at the duck. "Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant. "I must leave it! One does not keep Waldstein waiting!
Chapter 8 of The Mercenary is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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 friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “"Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.”
plural of “destiny” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading “INTERLACING DESTINIES.”
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading “Nigel looked ruefully at the duck.”
take in solid food
From this reading “"Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “"Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.”
in a rueful manner
From this reading “Nigel looked ruefully at the duck.”
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “"Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “One does not keep Waldstein waiting!”
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.
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 "Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Nigel looked ruefully at the duck.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading "Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.
plural of “destiny” — an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading INTERLACING DESTINIES.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One does not keep Waldstein waiting!
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading Nigel looked ruefully at the duck.
take in solid food
From this reading "Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I must leave it!
linked or locked closely together as by dovetailing
From this reading INTERLACING DESTINIES.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading One does not keep Waldstein waiting!
go away from a place
From this reading "I must leave it!
a commissioned military officer
From this reading "Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Nigel looked ruefully at the duck.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I must leave it!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nigel looked ruefully at the duck.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One does not keep Waldstein waiting!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One does not keep Waldstein waiting!
in a rueful manner
From this reading Nigel looked ruefully at the duck.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading "Stay and eat it, comrade!" said the lieutenant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nigel looked ruefully at the duck.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading One does not keep Waldstein waiting!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One does not keep Waldstein waiting!
Chapter 8 of The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 200 sentences of The Mercenary, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Mercenary by W. J. Eccott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Mercenary by W. J. Eccott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5752 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40567 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40567, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 479 minutes of reading across 1151 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mercenary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Mercenary 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 Mercenary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
