Chapter 8 of The pit is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The pit is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper. "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence. "I'm sure that's why he left so suddenly." Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light. "Don't you think so, Charlie?"
Chapter 8 of The pit is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading “Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.”
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading “Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.”
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “"I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.”
past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading “"I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.”
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading “"I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.”
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.”
-ing form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading “"Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper.”
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading “Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.”
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 "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
later than; following
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't you think so, Charlie?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't you think so, Charlie?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper.
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
past form of “grunt” — issue a grunting, low, animal-like noise
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'm sure that's why he left so suddenly."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "I'm sure that's why he left so suddenly."
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
take in marriage
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
past form of “muse” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading "Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper.
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
-ing form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading "Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Fiddlesticks!" said Mr. Cressler, resuming his paper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I'm sure that's why he left so suddenly."
happening unexpectedly
From this reading "I'm sure that's why he left so suddenly."
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I'm sure that's why he left so suddenly."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sure that's why he left so suddenly."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Don't you think so, Charlie?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'm positive that Sheldon Corthell asked her to marry him," mused Mrs. Cressler after a moment's silence.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading Her husband grunted grimly as he turned his paper so as to catch the reflection of the vestibule light.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "I'm sure that's why he left so suddenly."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Don't you think so, Charlie?"
Chapter 8 of The pit by Frank Norris holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The pit, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The pit by Frank Norris exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 pit by Frank Norris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8642 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4382, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1729 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The pit section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The pit 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 pit, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
