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The Works of Rudyard Kipling
The Works of Rudyard Kipling

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Works of Rudyard Kipling is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/93 · 5 lines
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And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.
--Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.
It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”
It's off my hands at any rate....
Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Works of Rudyard Kipling

Chapter VIII · Chapter 8

Chapter 8 of The Works of Rudyard Kipling is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/93 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.
Line 2
--Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.
Line 3
It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”
Line 4
It's off my hands at any rate....
Line 5
Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?

Learner Dictionary

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.

chess noun US /tʃes/

weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat

From this reading “--Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.”

commenting verb US /ˈkɑːmentɪŋ/

-ing form of “comment” — make or write a comment on

From this reading “--Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.”

Hiawatha noun US /ˌhaɪəˈwɑːθə/

a Native American chieftain who argued for peace with the European settlers (16th century)

From this reading “And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.”

musician noun US /mjuːˈzɪʃən/

someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)

From this reading “And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.”

paging noun US /ˈpeɪdʒɪŋ/

calling out the name of a person (especially by a loudspeaker system)

From this reading “--Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.”

sketchy adjective US /ˈsketʃi/

giving only major points; lacking completeness

From this reading ““It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.””

slips noun US /slɪps/

plural of “slip” — a socially awkward or tactless act

From this reading “Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?”

tactics noun US /ˈtæktɪks/

the branch of military science dealing with detailed maneuvers to achieve objectives set by strategy

From this reading “--Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.”

All words in this reading · 73

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

affairsnounUS /əˈferz/

matters of personal concern

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

altogetheradverbUS /ˌɔːltəˈɡeðər/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading “It's off my hands at any rate....

aren't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “It's off my hands at any rate....

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

chessnounUS /tʃes/

weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

Chibiabos

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

commentingverbUS /ˈkɑːmentɪŋ/

-ing form of “comment” — make or write a comment on

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

considerationnounUS /kənˌsɪdərˈeɪʃən/

the process of giving careful thought to something

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

EasternadjectiveUS /ˈiːstərn/

lying toward or situated in the east

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

EuropenounUS /ˈjʊrəp/

the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading “It's off my hands at any rate....

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

HiawathanounUS /ˌhaɪəˈwɑːθə/

a Native American chieftain who argued for peace with the European settlers (16th century)

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

It's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

Kwasind

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

manuscriptnounUS /ˈmæn.jə.skrɪpt/

A book, document, or piece of music written by hand rather than typed or printed.

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

musiciannounUS /mjuːˈzɪʃən/

someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “It's off my hands at any rate....

Nilghai

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading “It's off my hands at any rate....

pagingnounUS /ˈpeɪdʒɪŋ/

calling out the name of a person (especially by a loudspeaker system)

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

picturesqueadjectiveUS /ˈpɪktʃərəsk/

suggesting or suitable for a picture; pretty as a picture

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

ratenounUS /reɪt/

a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit

From this reading “It's off my hands at any rate....

readingnounUS /ˈriːdɪŋ/

the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

scornfullyadverb

without respect; in a disdainful manner

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

seriousadjectiveUS /ˈsɪriəs/

concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

sheetsnounUS /ʃiːts/

plural of “sheet” — any broad thin expanse or surface

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

sketchyadjectiveUS /ˈsketʃi/

giving only major points; lacking completeness

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

slipsnounUS /slɪps/

plural of “slip” — a socially awkward or tactless act

From this reading Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

tacticsnounUS /ˈtæktɪks/

the branch of military science dealing with detailed maneuvers to achieve objectives set by strategy

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

thirty-eightadjective

being eight more than thirty

From this reading Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?

thirty-nineadjective

being nine more than thirty

From this reading Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?

Thirty-sevenadjective

being seven more than thirty

From this reading Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine slips altogether, aren't there?

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

Torpenhow

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

Wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading --Hiawatha Torpenhow was paging the last sheets of some manuscript, while the Nilghai, who had come for chess and remained to talk tactics, was reading through the first part, commenting scornfully the while.

worthnounUS /wɜːrθ/

an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value

From this reading “It's picturesque enough and it's sketchy,” said he; “but as a serious consideration of affairs in Eastern Europe, it's not worth much.”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind.

Chapter 8 of The Works of Rudyard Kipling by Rudyard Kipling holds 467 sentences, grouped into 94 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Works of Rudyard Kipling contain?

Chapter 8 holds 467 sentences of The Works of Rudyard Kipling, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Works of Rudyard Kipling by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 467 sentences, grouped into 94 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Works of Rudyard Kipling?

Work through the 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 94 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Works of Rudyard Kipling

Common questions about reading The Works of Rudyard Kipling by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Works of Rudyard Kipling?

Yes. All 9658 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2334 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Works of Rudyard Kipling is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2334, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Works of Rudyard Kipling take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1932 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Works of Rudyard Kipling

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Works of Rudyard Kipling, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Settled
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Works of Rudyard Kipling; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Storm
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Works of Rudyard Kipling; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Comf'y
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Works of Rudyard Kipling; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dears
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Works of Rudyard Kipling; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.