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The shears of destiny
The shears of destiny

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The shears of destiny is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Leroy Scott • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The shears of destiny
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.
To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.
Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.
His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.
And added to that anguish was the bitterness of humiliation.
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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 shears of destiny

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The shears of destiny is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.
Line 2
To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.
/tuː hæv met ənd lʌvd ənd lɔːst ə ɡɜːrl ɔːl wɪˈðɪn ðə speɪs ʌv ˈtwentifɔːr ˈaʊərz wɑːz ˈhɑːrdli æn ɪkˈspɪriəns tuː meɪk ə mæn enˈlaɪvənɪŋ ˈkʌmpəniː/
Line 3
Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.
Line 4
His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.
Line 5
And added to that anguish was the bitterness of humiliation.
/ənd ˈædəd tuː ðæt ˈæŋɡwɪʃ wɑːz ðə ˈbɪtərnəs ʌv hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/

Learner Dictionary

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.

brighten verb US /ˈbraɪtən/

make more cheerful through the use of color

From this reading “CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chatter verb US /ˈtʃætər/

click repeatedly or uncontrollably

From this reading “Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
easing noun US /ˈiːzɪŋ/

a change for the better

From this reading “Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
enlivening adjective US /enˈlaɪvənɪŋ/

giving spirit and vivacity

From this reading “To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fellow's noun US /ˈfeloʊz/

possessive form of “fellow” — a boy or man

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gruffly adverb US /ˈɡrʌfli/

in a gruff manner

From this reading “Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
humiliation noun US /hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/

state of disgrace or loss of self-respect

From this reading “And added to that anguish was the bitterness of humiliation.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tedium noun US /ˈtiːdiəm/

the feeling of being bored by something tedious

From this reading “Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

twenty-four hours adjective + noun

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

In this reading “To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.”

8,825 times in 426,211 chapters
within the space preposition + article + noun counted as “within … space”

In this reading “To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.”

460 times in 426,211 chapters
lay upon verb + particle

In this reading “Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.”

6,068 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 78

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading And added to that anguish was the bitterness of humiliation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anguishnounUS /ˈæŋɡwɪʃ/

extreme mental distress

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bitternessnounUS /ˈbɪtərnəs/

a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

From this reading And added to that anguish was the bitterness of humiliation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
brightenverbUS /ˈbraɪtən/

make more cheerful through the use of color

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cardsnounUS /kɑːrdz/

a game played with playing cards

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chatterverbUS /ˈtʃætər/

click repeatedly or uncontrollably

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
companynounUS /ˈkʌmpəniː/

an institution created to conduct business

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CONCERNINGverbUS /kənˈsɜːrnɪŋ/

-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
drewnounUS /druː/

United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Drexel's

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

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Pending verification
dulladjectiveUS /dʌl/

lacking in liveliness or animation

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
easingnounUS /ˈiːzɪŋ/

a change for the better

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
enliveningadjectiveUS /enˈlaɪvənɪŋ/

giving spirit and vivacity

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
experienceverbUS /ɪkˈspɪriəns/

undergo or live through a difficult experience

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fellow'snounUS /ˈfeloʊz/

possessive form of “fellow” — a boy or man

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grufflyadverbUS /ˈɡrʌfli/

in a gruff manner

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heednounUS /hiːd/

paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people)

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hoursnounUS /ˈaʊərz/

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
humiliationnounUS /hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/

state of disgrace or loss of self-respect

From this reading And added to that anguish was the bitterness of humiliation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Ivan

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

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

Pending verification
layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lossnounUS /lɔːs/

something that is lost

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lovedadjectiveUS /lʌvd/

held dear

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MYSTERYnounUS /ˈmɪstəri/

something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nervenounUS /nɜːrv/

any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pair's

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

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

Pending verification
payingadjectiveUS /ˈpeɪɪŋ/

yielding a fair profit

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
presencenounUS /ˈprezəns/

the state of being present; current existence

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PRINCEnounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prisonnounUS /ˈprɪzən/

a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
purposenounUS /ˈpɜːrpəs/

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
refusingverbUS /rəˈfjuːzɪŋ/

-ing form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sofanounUS /ˈsoʊfə/

an upholstered seat for more than one person

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
spacenounUS /speɪs/

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tediumnounUS /ˈtiːdiəm/

the feeling of being bored by something tedious

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
throbbed

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

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

Pending verification
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ToparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twenty-fouradjectiveUS /ˈtwentifɔːr/

being four more than twenty

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading CONCERNING THE MYSTERY OF A PRINCE It was a dull room, Drexel’s prison, and Drexel’s presence did not brighten it.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading To have met and loved and lost a girl all within the space of twenty-four hours, was hardly an experience to make a man enlivening company.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading His every nerve throbbed with the anguish of her loss, an anguish that he felt would never leave him.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Most of the time he lay upon the old sofa, gruffly refusing when Ivan drew out the cards with the purpose of easing his tedium, paying no heed to the young fellow’s chatter, and no heed to the pair’s going and coming.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 8 of The shears of destiny by Leroy Scott holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

What does chapter 8 of The shears of destiny contain?

Chapter 8 holds 172 sentences of The shears of destiny, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The shears of destiny by Leroy Scott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 shears of destiny?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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 shears of destiny

Common questions about reading The shears of destiny by Leroy Scott on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The shears of destiny?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The shears of destiny is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The shears of destiny take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The shears of destiny section by section

How to work through The shears of destiny section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in The shears of destiny

Words and structures a reader meets early in The shears of destiny, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The shears of destiny, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of The shears of destiny, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The shears of destiny, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.