Chapter 8 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I must tell them. I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.” “I’ll tell them,” Markelov said. “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence. My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
Chapter 8 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
the state of being absent
From this reading ““They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.”
plural of “aim” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.”
a brother by marriage
From this reading “My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.”
a game played with playing cards
From this reading ““They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.”
giving or marked by complete attention to
From this reading ““They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.”
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading “My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.”
relating to or dealing with the affairs or structure of government or politics or the state
From this reading “My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.”
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading ““They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.”
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.
the state of being absent
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
plural of “aim” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
a brother by marriage
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
a game played with playing cards
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
giving or marked by complete attention to
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
relating to or dealing with the affairs or structure of government or politics or the state
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I must tell them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ll tell them,” Markelov said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
and nothing more
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ll tell them,” Markelov said.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I must tell them.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
and nothing more
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
participate in games or sport
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I’ll tell them,” Markelov said.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
express in words
From this reading “I must tell them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “I must tell them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
a special situation
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading My brother-in-law aims only at governmental folk, and the only thing he can do well is to play at cards.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I don’t think it would be wise to go away without doing so.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “They are engrossed in their cards just now and will not notice your absence.
Chapter 8 of Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev holds 217 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 217 sentences of Virgin Soil, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6780 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2466 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2466, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 565 minutes of reading across 1356 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Virgin Soil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Virgin Soil 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 Virgin Soil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
