Chapter 8 of The Trumpet-Major is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Trumpet-Major is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.' 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel. Let's put it to her. Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home. Miss Anne, which?'
Chapter 8 of The Trumpet-Major is here in full — 179 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “Miss Anne, which?'”
in a civil manner
From this reading “'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'”
the muscle tone of healthy tissue
From this reading “'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'”
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading “Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.”
an angry dispute
From this reading “'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'”
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading “'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.”
any one of a set, it does not matter which
From this reading “Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.”
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.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading Miss Anne, which?'
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
in a civil manner
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
the muscle tone of healthy tissue
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Let's put it to her.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Let's put it to her.
plural of “like” — a similar kind
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Anne, which?'
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Let's put it to her.
an angry dispute
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
carry out
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
in spite of the fact that
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading 'Man, had I but my sword--' 'Come,' said Loveday, 'I don't want to quarrel.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Miss Anne, which?'
any one of a set, it does not matter which
From this reading Whichever of us she likes best, he shall take her home.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'She's in my hands,' said Loveday civilly, though not without firmness, 'so it is not required, thank you.'
Chapter 8 of The Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy holds 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 179 sentences of The Trumpet-Major, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 179 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6158 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2864 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2864, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 513 minutes of reading across 1232 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Trumpet-Major section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Trumpet-Major 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 Trumpet-Major, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
