Chapter 8 of The Undercurrent 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 Undercurrent is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise. "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month." Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong." "Everything is wrong." Paul seated himself with grave deliberation.
Chapter 8 of The Undercurrent 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.
possessive form of “client” — a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading “Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."”
(usually plural) discussion of all sides of a question
From this reading “Paul seated himself with grave deliberation.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.”
remove the dust from
From this reading “"Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."”
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading “Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."”
-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."”
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading “XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.”
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading “"Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."”
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 “Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."”
seek information from
In this reading “XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.”
In this reading “XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.”
In this reading “"Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
possessive form of “client” — a person who seeks the advice of a lawyer
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
(usually plural) discussion of all sides of a question
From this reading Paul seated himself with grave deliberation.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
remove the dust from
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "Everything is wrong."
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
death of a person
From this reading Paul seated himself with grave deliberation.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Paul seated himself with grave deliberation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Everything is wrong."
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
immediately past
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading Paul seated himself with grave deliberation.
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
up to a particular time
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
in the company of; together with
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading Then noticing his client's face as they joined hands, he added, "I hope nothing has gone wrong."
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading XV Gordon Perry looked up from his desk with an air of surprise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why, Paul, I thought you'd shaken the dust of Benham from your feet until the last of the month."
Chapter 8 of The Undercurrent by Robert Grant 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 Undercurrent, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Undercurrent by Robert Grant 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 Undercurrent by Robert Grant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6580 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56310 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56310, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 548 minutes of reading across 1316 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Undercurrent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Undercurrent 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 Undercurrent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
