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Whispers at Dawn
Whispers at Dawn

Chapter VIII · Down a Beam of Light

Chapter VIII of Whispers at Dawn, “Down a Beam of Light,” is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Whispers at Dawn
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.
"A store in Chicago."
She laughed low.
Her uncle's store in Chicago.
What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Whispers at Dawn

Chapter VIII · Down a Beam of Light

Chapter VIII of Whispers at Dawn, “Down a Beam of Light,” is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.
Line 2
"A store in Chicago."
/ə stɔːr ɪn ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/
Line 3
She laughed low.
/ʃiː læft loʊ/
Line 4
Her uncle's store in Chicago.
/hɜːr ˈʌŋkəlz stɔːr ɪn ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/
Line 5
What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?
/wʌt driːmz hæd ʃiː nɑːt driːmd ʌv ðɪs stɔːr/

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.

allotted adjective US /əˈlɑːtɪd/

given as a task

From this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Chicago noun US /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/

largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan

From this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dreamed adjective US /driːmd/

conceived of or imagined or hoped for

From this reading “What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dreams noun US /driːmz/

plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep

From this reading “What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Kansas noun US /ˈkænzəs/

a state in midwestern United States

From this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
occupy verb US /ˈɑːkjəpaɪ/

keep busy with

From this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sank verb US /sæŋk/

inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level

From this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uncle's noun US /ˈʌŋkəlz/

possessive form of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

upper floor adjective + noun

In this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

1,149 times in 426,211 chapters
sank into verb + particle counted as “sink into”

In this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

10,220 times in 426,211 chapters
into a chair preposition + article + noun counted as “into … chair”

In this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

7,802 times in 426,211 chapters
small rooms adjective + noun

In this reading “Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.”

423 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 40

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 Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
allottedadjectiveUS /əˈlɑːtɪd/

given as a task

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ChicagonounUS /ʃəˈkɑːɡoʊ/

largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dreamedadjectiveUS /driːmd/

conceived of or imagined or hoped for

From this reading What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dreamsnounUS /driːmz/

plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep

From this reading What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GracenounUS /ɡreɪs/

(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
KansasnounUS /ˈkænzəs/

a state in midwestern United States

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Krowl

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

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Pending verification
laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading She laughed low.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lowadjectiveUS /loʊ/

less than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading She laughed low.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
occupyverbUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪ/

keep busy with

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
plentynounUS /ˈplenti/

a full supply

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomsnounUS /ruːmz/

apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sankverbUS /sæŋk/

inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
storenounUS /stɔːr/

a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
twonounUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uncle'snounUS /ˈʌŋkəlz/

possessive form of “uncle” — the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
upperadjectiveUS /ˈʌpər/

the topmost one of two

From this reading Grace Krowl, the girl from Kansas, found plenty of things to occupy her thoughts as she sank into a chair in one of the two small rooms allotted to her on the upper floor of her uncle's store in Chicago.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What dreams had she not dreamed of this store?

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 8 of Whispers at Dawn by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 Whispers at Dawn contain?

Chapter 8 holds 117 sentences of Whispers at Dawn, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Whispers at Dawn by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 Whispers at Dawn?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 Whispers at Dawn

Common questions about reading Whispers at Dawn by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Whispers at Dawn?

Yes. All 3942 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43677 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Whispers at Dawn is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #43677, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Whispers at Dawn take to read?

About 328 minutes of reading across 789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Whispers at Dawn section by section

How to work through Whispers at Dawn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of Whispers at Dawn to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Whispers at Dawn

Words and structures a reader meets early in Whispers at Dawn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Reilly
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Whispers at Dawn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chicago
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Whispers at Dawn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fantastic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Whispers at Dawn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Happenings
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Whispers at Dawn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.