Chapter 8 of The Three Lovers is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Three Lovers is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And with that Amy began to cry. Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing. But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep. "And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience. "Oh, you _poor_ thing.
Chapter 8 of The Three Lovers is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 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.
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading “"And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.”
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “"And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.”
possessive form of “nobody” — a person of no influence
From this reading “"And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.”
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading “Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.”
plural of “sob” — a dyspneic condition
From this reading “But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.”
grievously affected especially by disease
From this reading “"And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.”
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.”
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 “Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.”
In this reading “Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.”
almost do or experience something
In this reading “"And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.”
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.
expressing pain or agony
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And with that Amy began to cry.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And with that Amy began to cry.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And with that Amy began to cry.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading "And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading And with that Amy began to cry.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading "And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.
not any; not one
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
possessive form of “nobody” — a person of no influence
From this reading "And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, you _poor_ thing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
plural of “sob” — a dyspneic condition
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
grievously affected especially by disease
From this reading "And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And with that Amy began to cry.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Patricia put an arm round her, and felt the poor creature sobbing.
a special situation
From this reading "Oh, you _poor_ thing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And with that Amy began to cry.
shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But no tears came; the sobs were long drawn and agonised; and Amy could not weep.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And with that Amy began to cry.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And nobody's come near you!" murmured Patricia, stricken with conscience.
Chapter 8 of The Three Lovers by Frank Swinnerton holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of The Three Lovers, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Three Lovers by Frank Swinnerton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Three Lovers by Frank Swinnerton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7752 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63479 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63479, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1551 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Three Lovers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Three Lovers 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 Three Lovers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
