Chapter 8 of West of the sun is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of West of the sun is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I never have." He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room. "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums." Paul turned his back on the hills. Nothing was there to see, nothing at all.
Chapter 8 of West of the sun is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
operating with minimal human intervention; independent of external control
From this reading “He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.”
the state of being clean; without dirt or other impurities
From this reading “He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.”
plural of “possum” — nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America
From this reading “"My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."”
plural of “rabbit” — any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading “"My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."”
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading “He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.”
made afraid
From this reading “"My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."”
third-person singular of “sear” — make very hot and dry
From this reading “He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.”
plural of “watchdog” — a guardian or defender against theft or illegal practices or waste
From this reading “"My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."”
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.
In this reading “"My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."”
In this reading “He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.”
In this reading “He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.”
watch over so as to protect
In this reading “"My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."”
In this reading “Paul turned his back on the hills.”
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 "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Nothing was there to see, nothing at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
operating with minimal human intervention; independent of external control
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Paul turned his back on the hills.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
the state of being clean; without dirt or other impurities
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I never have."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Paul turned his back on the hills.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Paul turned his back on the hills.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I never have."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
the force of workers available
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
used to form the superlative
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never have."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing was there to see, nothing at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Paul turned his back on the hills.
and nothing more
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading Paul turned his back on the hills.
plural of “possum” — nocturnal arboreal marsupial having a naked prehensile tail found from southern North America to northern South America
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
plural of “rabbit” — any of various burrowing animals of the family Leporidae having long ears and short tails; some domesticated and raised for pets or food
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
express in words
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
made afraid
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
third-person singular of “sear” — make very hot and dry
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Nothing was there to see, nothing at all.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
be standing; be upright
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He glanced at the fat man's holstered automatic, remembered the cleanness of the rifle hanging in Sears' room.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Nothing was there to see, nothing at all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Paul turned his back on the hills.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nothing was there to see, nothing at all.
plural of “watchdog” — a guardian or defender against theft or illegal practices or waste
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
which person or people
From this reading "My father used to say most men are good watchdogs, who know they're scared but stand guard in spite of it; only a few are rabbits and possums."
Chapter 8 of West of the sun by Edgar Pangborn holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 427 sentences of West of the sun, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of West of the sun by Edgar Pangborn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 West of the sun by Edgar Pangborn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5853 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39572 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39572, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 487 minutes of reading across 1171 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through West of the sun section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of West of the sun 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 West of the sun, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
