Chapter 8 of Vanguards of the Plains is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Vanguards of the Plains is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Men listened when Jondo spoke. "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word. I leave the days to prove who is right. At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day. If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
Chapter 8 of Vanguards of the Plains is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading “At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.”
past form of “doubt” — consider unlikely or have doubts about
From this reading “"I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “Men listened when Jondo spoke.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.”
something having the property of being analogous to something else
From this reading “At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “I leave the days to prove who is right.”
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading “At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.”
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 At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
later than; following
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading I leave the days to prove who is right.
past form of “doubt” — consider unlikely or have doubts about
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I leave the days to prove who is right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Men listened when Jondo spoke.
go away from a place
From this reading I leave the days to prove who is right.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Men listened when Jondo spoke.
the force of workers available
From this reading Men listened when Jondo spoke.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
something having the property of being analogous to something else
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading I leave the days to prove who is right.
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I leave the days to prove who is right.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Men listened when Jondo spoke.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading If he is not here in ten minutes, we must go after him."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I leave the days to prove who is right.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I leave the days to prove who is right.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
at the time that
From this reading Men listened when Jondo spoke.
which person or people
From this reading I leave the days to prove who is right.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At midnight I sent Gail Clarenden to find out what is beyond that ridge--a band of men running parallel with us that shadows us day by day.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I believe we are in danger, but you have doubted my word.
Chapter 8 of Vanguards of the Plains by Margaret Hill McCarter holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of Vanguards of the Plains, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Vanguards of the Plains by Margaret Hill McCarter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Vanguards of the Plains by Margaret Hill McCarter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5822 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13345 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13345, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 485 minutes of reading across 1165 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vanguards of the Plains section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Vanguards of the Plains 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 Vanguards of the Plains, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
