Chapter 8 of Ariel Dances is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Ariel Dances is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“The children and their guest are still sleeping. Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him. She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven. But that’s all right, I suppose. It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.”
Chapter 8 of Ariel Dances is here in full — 317 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.””
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading “Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.”
being one more than ten
From this reading “She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.”
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading ““The children and their guest are still sleeping.”
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.”
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading “It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.””
the state of being asleep
From this reading ““The children and their guest are still sleeping.”
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading “Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.”
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 “She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.”
be restored
In this reading “She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.”
In this reading “It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.””
In this reading ““The children and their guest are still sleeping.”
rise to one's feet
In this reading “Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.”
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 It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.”
(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 But that’s all right, I suppose.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “The children and their guest are still sleeping.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “The children and their guest are still sleeping.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But that’s all right, I suppose.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “The children and their guest are still sleeping.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.”
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
being one more than ten
From this reading She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “The children and their guest are still sleeping.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But that’s all right, I suppose.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.”
precisely, exactly
From this reading But that’s all right, I suppose.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.
the state of being asleep
From this reading “The children and their guest are still sleeping.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
not in physical motion
From this reading “The children and their guest are still sleeping.
express a supposition
From this reading But that’s all right, I suppose.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But that’s all right, I suppose.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The children and their guest are still sleeping.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading “The children and their guest are still sleeping.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It’s a difficult position Hugh’s put us in.”
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Hugh’s guest got up early, and went to the station with him.
but in spite of that
From this reading She hasn’t come back yet, and it’s nearly eleven.
Chapter 8 of Ariel Dances by Ethel Cook Eliot holds 317 sentences, grouped into 64 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 317 sentences of Ariel Dances, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Ariel Dances by Ethel Cook Eliot exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 317 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 Ariel Dances by Ethel Cook Eliot on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58412 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58412, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1485 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ariel Dances section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Ariel Dances 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 Ariel Dances, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
