Chapter 8 of The Silent Battle is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Silent Battle is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Nina Jaffray laughed. “Come, Phil, there’s a dear. Do tell a fellow. I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out. I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?”
Chapter 8 of The Silent Battle is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 boy or man
From this reading “Do tell a fellow.”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “Nina Jaffray laughed.”
the Babylonian goddess of the watery deep and daughter of Ea
From this reading “Nina Jaffray laughed.”
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading “I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?””
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.”
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading “I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?””
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.
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 “Come, Phil, there’s a dear.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come, Phil, there’s a dear.
dearly loved
From this reading “Come, Phil, there’s a dear.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do tell a fellow.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
a boy or man
From this reading Do tell a fellow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nina Jaffray laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Nina Jaffray laughed.
the Babylonian goddess of the watery deep and daughter of Ea
From this reading Nina Jaffray laughed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
and nothing more
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Come, Phil, there’s a dear.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
a harsh noise made by scraping
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I’m sure I ought to--oughtn’t I, Jane?”
express in words
From this reading Do tell a fellow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Come, Phil, there’s a dear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I’ve really got to know, if only for the fun of scratching her eyes out.
Chapter 8 of The Silent Battle by George Gibbs holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of The Silent Battle, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Silent Battle by George Gibbs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Silent Battle by George Gibbs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8087 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54544 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54544, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1618 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silent Battle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Silent Battle 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 Silent Battle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
