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The Shadow Line: A Confession
The Shadow Line: A Confession

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Shadow Line: A Confession is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Shadow Line: A Confession
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.
However, I had nearly fought my way out.
Out to sea.
The sea--which was pure, safe, and friendly.
Three days more.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Shadow Line: A Confession

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Shadow Line: A Confession is here in full — 223 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.
Line 2
However, I had nearly fought my way out.
Line 3
Out to sea.
Line 4
The sea--which was pure, safe, and friendly.
Line 5
Three days more.

All words in this reading · 46

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.

absorbing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

as

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

be

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

by

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

claim

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

commercial

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

complications

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

could

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

days

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Three days more.

fought

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However, I had nearly fought my way out.

friendly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sea--which was pure, safe, and friendly.

had

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However, I had nearly fought my way out.

However

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However, I had nearly fought my way out.

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

if

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

imagine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

men

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

more

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

my

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However, I had nearly fought my way out.

nearly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However, I had nearly fought my way out.

no

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

out

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However, I had nearly fought my way out.

poisonous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

pure

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sea--which was pure, safe, and friendly.

river

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

safe

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sea--which was pure, safe, and friendly.

sea

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out to sea.

ship

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

silly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

snared

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

some

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

stronger

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

than

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

these

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

Three

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Three days more.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Out to sea.

trap

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sea--which was pure, safe, and friendly.

way

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading However, I had nearly fought my way out.

which

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sea--which was pure, safe, and friendly.

would

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I could imagine no claim that would be stronger and more absorbing than the claim of that ship, of these men snared in the river by silly commercial complications, as if in some poisonous trap.

Chapter 8 of The Shadow Line: A Confession by Joseph Conrad holds 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Shadow Line: A Confession contain?

Chapter 8 holds 223 sentences of The Shadow Line: A Confession, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Shadow Line: A Confession by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 223 sentences, grouped into 45 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Shadow Line: A Confession?

Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 45 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Shadow Line: A Confession

Common questions about reading The Shadow Line: A Confession by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Shadow Line: A Confession?

Yes. All 3111 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #451 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Shadow Line: A Confession is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #451, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Shadow Line: A Confession take to read?

About 259 minutes of reading across 623 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Shadow Line: A Confession section by section

How to work through The Shadow Line: A Confession section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Shadow Line: A Confession to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Shadow Line: A Confession

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Shadow Line: A Confession, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Borys
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shadow Line: A Confession; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Others
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shadow Line: A Confession; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Himself
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shadow Line: A Confession; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Crossed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shadow Line: A Confession; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.