Chapter 8 of The Sundial is here in full — 405 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 Sundial is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"He came to see you?" Arnold cried. "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased. You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made. And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
Chapter 8 of The Sundial is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading “Arnold cried.”
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “"Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.”
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
From this reading “And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.”
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading “You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.”
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading “"Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.”
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading “You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.”
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “"Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.”
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 “"Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
English poet and literary critic (1822-1888)
From this reading Arnold cried.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "He came to see you?"
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Arnold cried.
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
the act of discovering something
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He came to see you?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "He came to see you?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And now, how am I to get out of this dilemma?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He came to see you?"
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
at the time that
From this reading You can imagine how distressing it was when the discovery was made.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "He came to see you?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes, but under the impression that your folly had ceased.
Chapter 8 of The Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 405 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 405 sentences of The Sundial, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 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 Sundial by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6094 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55006 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55006, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 507 minutes of reading across 1219 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sundial section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Sundial 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 Sundial, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
