Chapter 8 of Ascanio is here in full — 430 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 Ascanio is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child. "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little. It was wrong, very wrong. You see that I confess my sins to you freely. I knew not that you were with him," she added eagerly.
Chapter 8 of Ascanio is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading “"Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “"Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.”
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading “"It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.”
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading “"Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.”
not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article
From this reading “"Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.”
plural of “sin” — estrangement from god
From this reading “You see that I confess my sins to you freely.”
having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or oversolicitous attention
From this reading “"Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “"It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.”
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 “"Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.”
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 "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading I knew not that you were with him," she added eagerly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
a young person of either sex
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading You see that I confess my sins to you freely.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading I knew not that you were with him," she added eagerly.
in a free manner
From this reading You see that I confess my sins to you freely.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I knew not that you were with him," she added eagerly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I knew not that you were with him," she added eagerly.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
express in words
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading You see that I confess my sins to you freely.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I knew not that you were with him," she added eagerly.
and nothing more
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
not genuine or real; being an imitation of the genuine article
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
plural of “sin” — estrangement from god
From this reading You see that I confess my sins to you freely.
having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or oversolicitous attention
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You see that I confess my sins to you freely.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was wrong, very wrong.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I knew not that you were with him," she added eagerly.
at the time that
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Say the mischief," rejoined the duchess with the simulated confusion of a spoiled child.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading It was wrong, very wrong.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You see that I confess my sins to you freely.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It is the truth that I was not dressed when your master arrived, and I simply prolonged my toilet a little.
Chapter 8 of Ascanio by Alexandre Dumas holds 430 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 430 sentences of Ascanio, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Ascanio by Alexandre Dumas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 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 Ascanio by Alexandre Dumas on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8743 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66620 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66620, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1749 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ascanio section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Ascanio 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 Ascanio, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
