Chapter 8 of The Nine-Tenths is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Nine-Tenths is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Read it! Read it out loud!" He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over. I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ. If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
Chapter 8 of The Nine-Tenths is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 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.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading “If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.”
plural of “connection” — a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading “I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.”
deem to be
From this reading “If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.”
put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
From this reading “I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.”
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “Read it out loud!"”
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.”
plural of “salary” — something that remunerates
From this reading “If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.”
set or keep apart
From this reading “I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.”
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 He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
plural of “connection” — a relation between things or events (as in the case of one causing the other or sharing features with it)
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
deem to be
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Read it!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
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 I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading Read it out loud!"
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
the force of workers available
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Read it out loud!"
above and across; more than
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading "Read it!
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
plural of “salary” — something that remunerates
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
set or keep apart
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He opened it and read: TO MY MEN,--I have thought matters over.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
which person or people
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I do not like to sever connections with men who have been so long in my employ.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you return to work this morning, you may go on at the old salaries, and we will consider the matter closed.
Chapter 8 of The Nine-Tenths by James Oppenheim holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of The Nine-Tenths, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Nine-Tenths by James Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Nine-Tenths by James Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5521 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11372 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11372, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 460 minutes of reading across 1105 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Nine-Tenths section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Nine-Tenths 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 Nine-Tenths, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
