Chapter 8 of The Pond is here in full — 192 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 Pond is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water. The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual. There was nothing out of the way about him. "Good-evening," said the reed-warbler. "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
Chapter 8 of The Pond is here in full — 192 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.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.”
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “"How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"”
black marine bivalves usually steamed in wine
From this reading “The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.”
past form of “peep” — look furtively
From this reading “The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.”
experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent
From this reading “"How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"”
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading “The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.”
gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
From this reading “The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.”
In this reading “The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.”
In this reading “The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was nothing out of the way about him.
later than; following
From this reading "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good-evening," said the reed-warbler.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was nothing out of the way about him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
black marine bivalves usually steamed in wine
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There was nothing out of the way about him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was nothing out of the way about him.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading There was nothing out of the way about him.
past form of “peep” — look furtively
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Good-evening," said the reed-warbler.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.
experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent
From this reading "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The Mussel The next evening, the reed-warbler peeped down into the water.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There was nothing out of the way about him.
gaping open as if threatening to engulf someone or something
From this reading The fresh-water mussel was sitting there and yawning as usual.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How are you, after your friend's unhappy end?"
Chapter 8 of The Pond by Carl Ewald holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 192 sentences of The Pond, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Pond by Carl Ewald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 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 Pond by Carl Ewald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1500 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31708 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31708, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 125 minutes of reading across 300 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pond section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Pond 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 Pond, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
