Chapter 8 of The Riverman is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Riverman is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Thirty.” “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?” “Off and on, about six years.” “Why did you go into that particular sort of thing?” Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
Chapter 8 of The Riverman is here in full — 205 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading “Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.”
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading ““How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?””
a compact mass
From this reading “Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading ““Why did you go into that particular sort of thing?””
chosen in preference to another
From this reading “Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading ““Thirty.””
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
From this reading “Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.”
branch out in a twiglike manner
From this reading “Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.”
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 Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Off and on, about six years.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Off and on, about six years.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
taking care or paying attention
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Why did you go into that particular sort of thing?”
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Why did you go into that particular sort of thing?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “Why did you go into that particular sort of thing?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
a compact mass
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Off and on, about six years.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Off and on, about six years.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading “Why did you go into that particular sort of thing?”
chosen in preference to another
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading “Off and on, about six years.”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
a special situation
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading “Thirty.”
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
branch out in a twiglike manner
From this reading Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why did you go into that particular sort of thing?”
a late time of life
From this reading “Off and on, about six years.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How long have you been doing that sort of thing--driving, I mean?”
Chapter 8 of The Riverman by Stewart Edward White holds 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 205 sentences of The Riverman, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Riverman by Stewart Edward White exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 205 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Riverman by Stewart Edward White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7499 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1099 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1099, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1500 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Riverman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Riverman 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 Riverman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
