Chapter 8 of The Orchard of Tears is here in full — 426 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 Orchard of Tears is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted. "You must allow me to drive you home." The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door. "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol. Make it a double fare."
Chapter 8 of The Orchard of Tears is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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 “cough” — exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading “The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.”
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading “The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.”
an agenda of things to do
From this reading “Make it a double fare."”
past form of “persist” — continue to exist
From this reading “"I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.”
a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines
From this reading “"It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.”
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading “The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.”
compensation (given or received) for an insult or injury
From this reading “"I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.”
very bad
From this reading “"It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.”
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 "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading "You must allow me to drive you home."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.
someone who drives a taxi for a living
From this reading The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.
past form of “cough” — exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.
increase twofold
From this reading Make it a double fare."
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading "You must allow me to drive you home."
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.
an agenda of things to do
From this reading Make it a double fare."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "You must allow me to drive you home."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Make it a double fare."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
engage in
From this reading Make it a double fare."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You must allow me to drive you home."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "You must allow me to drive you home."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading "I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.
and nothing more
From this reading "I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading "I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.
past form of “persist” — continue to exist
From this reading "I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.
a volatile flammable mixture of hydrocarbons (hexane and heptane and octane etc.) derived from petroleum; used mainly as a fuel in internal-combustion engines
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.
compensation (given or received) for an insult or injury
From this reading "I can only offer one reparation," Paul persisted.
very bad
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
term of address for a man
From this reading "It's a rotten night, sir," he said, "and I'm short of petrol.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cabman coughed dryly, reaching around to open the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You must allow me to drive you home."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You must allow me to drive you home."
Chapter 8 of The Orchard of Tears by Sax Rohmer holds 426 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 426 sentences of The Orchard of Tears, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Orchard of Tears by Sax Rohmer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 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 Orchard of Tears by Sax Rohmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4716 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27461 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27461, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 393 minutes of reading across 944 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Orchard of Tears section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Orchard of Tears 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 Orchard of Tears, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
