Chapter 8 of The Panchronicon is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Panchronicon is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened. He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened. Then he began to mutter to himself. "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said. Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.
Chapter 8 of The Panchronicon is here in full — 379 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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.
back and sides of a hog salted and dried or smoked; usually sliced thin and fried
From this reading “HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.”
plural of “bailiff” — an officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and processes and make arrests etc.
From this reading “HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.”
past form of “cheat” — deprive somebody of something by deceit
From this reading “HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.”
Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center (1473-1543)
From this reading “HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.”
droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.”
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading “Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.”
with strained or eager attention
From this reading “Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.”
talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “Then he began to mutter to himself.”
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 He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
aroused or activated
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
back and sides of a hog salted and dried or smoked; usually sliced thin and fried
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
plural of “bailiff” — an officer of the court who is employed to execute writs and processes and make arrests etc.
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then he began to mutter to himself.
past form of “cheat” — deprive somebody of something by deceit
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center (1473-1543)
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said.
hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then he began to mutter to himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
with strained or eager attention
From this reading Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading Then he began to mutter to himself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said.
(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear
From this reading Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.
not in physical motion
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he began to mutter to himself.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then he began to mutter to himself.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then, starting up on one elbow, he listened intently.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading HOW FRANCIS BACON CHEATED THE BAILIFFS It was at about this time that Copernicus Droop finally awakened.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Machinery's stopped, so we're on dry land," he said.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
in or at the place that
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
showing curiosity
From this reading He lay perfectly still for a minute or two, wondering where he was and what had happened.
Chapter 8 of The Panchronicon by Harold Steele MacKaye holds 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 379 sentences of The Panchronicon, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Panchronicon by Harold Steele MacKaye exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 379 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 Panchronicon by Harold Steele MacKaye on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5584 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27682 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27682, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 465 minutes of reading across 1117 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Panchronicon section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Panchronicon 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 Panchronicon, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
