Chapter 8 of The Secret Martians is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Secret Martians is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did. Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face. "But this must be that girl's bag! The one who stole that other Amnesty!" It hit me like a blow in the stomach.
Chapter 8 of The Secret Martians is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment
From this reading “The one who stole that other Amnesty!"”
an exhilarating psychological state of pride and optimism; an absence of depression
From this reading “Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.”
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading “Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.”
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “"But this must be that girl's bag!”
an established line of travel or access
From this reading “Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.”
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading “The one who stole that other Amnesty!"”
an enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion
From this reading “It hit me like a blow in the stomach.”
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 “Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.”
In this reading “Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.”
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 Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
a period during which offenders are exempt from punishment
From this reading The one who stole that other Amnesty!"
from appearances alone
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
a flexible container with a single opening
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "But this must be that girl's bag!
exhale hard
From this reading It hit me like a blow in the stomach.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But this must be that girl's bag!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
an exhilarating psychological state of pride and optimism; an absence of depression
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "But this must be that girl's bag!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
cause to move by striking
From this reading It hit me like a blow in the stomach.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It hit me like a blow in the stomach.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It hit me like a blow in the stomach.
the force of workers available
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "But this must be that girl's bag!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The one who stole that other Amnesty!"
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The one who stole that other Amnesty!"
an established line of travel or access
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading The one who stole that other Amnesty!"
an enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion
From this reading It hit me like a blow in the stomach.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But this must be that girl's bag!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "But this must be that girl's bag!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Apparently Clatclit had known a shorter route to the IS building than the IS men did.
which person or people
From this reading The one who stole that other Amnesty!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Baxter had the bag in his hands, now, staring at it with the first faint flush of elation coming into his face.
Chapter 8 of The Secret Martians by Jack Sharkey holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of The Secret Martians, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Secret Martians by Jack Sharkey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Secret Martians by Jack Sharkey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3857 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50668 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50668, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 321 minutes of reading across 772 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Martians section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Secret Martians 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 Secret Martians, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
