Chapter 8 of The Wire Tappers is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Wire Tappers is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.” “And just what _is_ it, please?” “The Blue Pear, Jim, is a diamond. It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!” “To get back?
Chapter 8 of The Wire Tappers is here in full — 153 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading ““It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.””
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading ““It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.””
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading ““It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.””
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading ““The Blue Pear, Jim, is a diamond.”
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading ““It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.””
sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties
From this reading ““It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.””
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading ““And just what _is_ it, please?””
showing curiosity
From this reading ““It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.””
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.
as might be expected
In this reading ““It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.””
recover something or somebody that appeared to be lost
In this reading “It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!””
In this reading “It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!””
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 “The Blue Pear, Jim, is a diamond.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And just what _is_ it, please?”
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “The Blue Pear, Jim, is a diamond.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
with hesitation; in a hesitant manner
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And just what _is_ it, please?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “And just what _is_ it, please?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The Blue Pear, Jim, is a diamond.
and nothing more
From this reading “And just what _is_ it, please?”
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
sweet juicy gritty-textured fruit available in many varieties
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “And just what _is_ it, please?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It’s a diamond that you and I, in some way or another, have got to get back!”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “And just what _is_ it, please?”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
showing curiosity
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It’s the Blue Pear,” she said, hesitatingly, wondering how to begin—“which, of course, means nothing to you.”
Chapter 8 of The Wire Tappers by Arthur Stringer holds 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 153 sentences of The Wire Tappers, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Wire Tappers by Arthur Stringer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 153 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 Wire Tappers by Arthur Stringer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3904 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 325 minutes of reading across 781 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Wire Tappers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Wire Tappers 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 Wire Tappers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
