Chapter 8 of The Ruling Passion is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Ruling Passion is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Forgive?” he said, “no, never. He is a coward. I will never forgive!” A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house. “ENTREZ!” he cried.
Chapter 8 of The Ruling Passion is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading “A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.”
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading “He is a coward.”
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading ““Forgive?” he said, “no, never.”
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.”
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading “A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.”
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 is a coward.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading He is a coward.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “ENTREZ!” he cried.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “ENTREZ!” he cried.
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading “Forgive?” he said, “no, never.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Forgive?” he said, “no, never.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I will never forgive!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He is a coward.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Forgive?” he said, “no, never.
not any; not one
From this reading “Forgive?” he said, “no, never.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Forgive?” he said, “no, never.
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
at the time that
From this reading A little later in the afternoon, when the rose of sunset lay on the snowy hills, some one knocked at the door of Leclere's house.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will never forgive!”
Chapter 8 of The Ruling Passion by Henry Van Dyke holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 197 sentences of The Ruling Passion, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Ruling Passion by Henry Van Dyke exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Ruling Passion by Henry Van Dyke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3398 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1048 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1048, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 283 minutes of reading across 680 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ruling Passion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Ruling Passion 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 Ruling Passion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
