Chapter 8 of The Unknown Quantity is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Unknown Quantity is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them. Look at the rags. He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock." "Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd. "Are we not four to one?
Chapter 8 of The Unknown Quantity is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
a church congregation guided by a pastor
From this reading “He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."”
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “"Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.”
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading “Look at the rags.”
a thief who steals from someone by threatening violence
From this reading “He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."”
propose a toast to
From this reading “"Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.”
a clergyman who watches over a group of people
From this reading “"Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.”
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading “He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."”
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.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Look at the rags.”
almost do or experience something
In this reading “"Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.”
In this reading “"Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.”
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 He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are we not four to one?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Look at the rags.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.
a church congregation guided by a pastor
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "Are we not four to one?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look at the rags.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading "Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.
not any; not one
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Are we not four to one?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading Look at the rags.
a thief who steals from someone by threatening violence
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
propose a toast to
From this reading "Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.
a clergyman who watches over a group of people
From this reading "Salute him when he comes near," said the oldest shepherd.
having a supporting base
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Are we not four to one?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Are we not four to one?
be dressed in
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
at the time that
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
which person or people
From this reading "No," said the one who was standing, "it is what they wear when they have been thrown out of them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He may be a thief and a robber with his stolen flock."
Chapter 8 of The Unknown Quantity by Henry Van Dyke holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of The Unknown Quantity, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Unknown Quantity by Henry Van Dyke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Unknown Quantity by Henry Van Dyke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3667 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30622 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30622, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 734 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Unknown Quantity section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Unknown Quantity 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 Unknown Quantity, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
