Chapter 8 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.” “I didn’t have so much.” The man spoke weakly. There were small drops of sweat on his forehead. “You better get some air,” said Evans.
Chapter 8 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 act of consuming liquids
From this reading ““You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.””
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading “There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.”
United States anatomist who identified four pituitary hormones and discovered vitamin E (1882-1971)
From this reading ““You better get some air,” said Evans.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.”
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading ““You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.””
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading “There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.”
feed pigs
From this reading ““You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.””
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading “The man spoke weakly.”
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 ““You better get some air,” said Evans.”
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.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “You better get some air,” said Evans.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “You better get some air,” said Evans.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I didn’t have so much.”
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
plural of “drop” — a shape that is spherical and small
From this reading There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.
United States anatomist who identified four pituitary hormones and discovered vitamin E (1882-1971)
From this reading “You better get some air,” said Evans.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “You better get some air,” said Evans.
maintain (a theory, thoughts, or feelings)
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I didn’t have so much.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I didn’t have so much.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man spoke weakly.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You better get some air,” said Evans.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I didn’t have so much.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “You better get some air,” said Evans.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading The man spoke weakly.
salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
From this reading There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.
feed pigs
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading The man spoke weakly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were small drops of sweat on his forehead.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You been drinking too much of that swill at the Big Harbor.”
Chapter 8 of Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 418 sentences of Williwaw: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6242 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66691 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66691, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 520 minutes of reading across 1249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Williwaw: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Williwaw: A Novel 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 Williwaw: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
