Chapter 8 of The silent places is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 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 places is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be. "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little. "He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam. "We must follow it." "But what good--how can we ever catch up?"
Chapter 8 of The silent places is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
soreness or irritation of the skin caused by friction
From this reading “Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.”
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading “Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.”
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading “Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.”
(of wood) darkened or colored by exposure to ammonia fumes
From this reading “Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam.”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “"He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam.”
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading “"He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam.”
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 Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
later than; following
From this reading "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "But what good--how can we ever catch up?"
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading "But what good--how can we ever catch up?"
soreness or irritation of the skin caused by friction
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
at any time
From this reading "But what good--how can we ever catch up?"
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "We must follow it."
(of wood) darkened or colored by exposure to ammonia fumes
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "But what good--how can we ever catch up?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But what good--how can we ever catch up?"
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading "He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little.
something that is lost
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "We must follow it."
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading "He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
express in words
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading "He leaves a trail, don't he?" inquired Sam.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Dick fumed up and down, chafing at the delay, convinced that something should be done immediately, but at a loss to tell what it should be.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What'll we do, then?" he asked, after a little.
Chapter 8 of The silent places by Stewart Edward White holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 432 sentences of The silent places, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The silent places by Stewart Edward White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 places by Stewart Edward White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3781 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14960 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14960, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 315 minutes of reading across 757 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The silent places section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The silent places 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 places, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
