Chapter 8 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it. It is bad enough that we should risk our lives. But strangers must not. Think, Professor Kennedy. Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!
Chapter 8 of The Poisoned Pen is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading “Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!”
cause to burst with a violent release of energy
From this reading “Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!”
35th President of the United States; established the Peace Corps; assassinated in Dallas (1917-1963)
From this reading “Think, Professor Kennedy.”
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “Think, Professor Kennedy.”
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading “"No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.”
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading “"No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.”
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “But strangers must not.”
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 Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But strangers must not.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.
cause to burst with a violent release of energy
From this reading Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
35th President of the United States; established the Peace Corps; assassinated in Dallas (1917-1963)
From this reading Think, Professor Kennedy.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading Think, Professor Kennedy.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading But strangers must not.
express a supposition
From this reading Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Think, Professor Kennedy.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Suppose the bomb should explode at a touch!
in the direction of
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It is bad enough that we should risk our lives.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "No, no, no," she cried, running toward him, you must not risk it.
Chapter 8 of The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 194 sentences of The Poisoned Pen, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6378 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1923 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1923, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 531 minutes of reading across 1276 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Poisoned Pen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Poisoned Pen 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 Poisoned Pen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
