Chapter 8 of Aylwin is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Aylwin is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My efforts had not produced the slightest effect. I was now in a state of great agitation. That she was stone deaf seemed evident. But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them? I stooped down and gazed into her face.
Chapter 8 of Aylwin is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
From this reading “I was now in a state of great agitation.”
plural of “contortion” — the act of twisting or deforming the shape of something (e.g., yourself)
From this reading “But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?”
lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing wholly or in part
From this reading “That she was stone deaf seemed evident.”
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading “But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?”
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.”
having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something
From this reading “But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?”
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading “My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “I stooped down and gazed into her face.”
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 I was now in a state of great agitation.
a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
From this reading I was now in a state of great agitation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I stooped down and gazed into her face.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
plural of “contortion” — the act of twisting or deforming the shape of something (e.g., yourself)
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
lacking or deprived of the sense of hearing wholly or in part
From this reading That she was stone deaf seemed evident.
represented in words especially with sharpness and detail
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I stooped down and gazed into her face.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading That she was stone deaf seemed evident.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading I stooped down and gazed into her face.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading I was now in a state of great agitation.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.
having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I stooped down and gazed into her face.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was now in a state of great agitation.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I was now in a state of great agitation.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I stooped down and gazed into her face.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I was now in a state of great agitation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was now in a state of great agitation.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading That she was stone deaf seemed evident.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That she was stone deaf seemed evident.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading I was now in a state of great agitation.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading That she was stone deaf seemed evident.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading I stooped down and gazed into her face.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That she was stone deaf seemed evident.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My efforts had not produced the slightest effect.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was now in a state of great agitation.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading But was she not in some kind of fit, though without the contortions of face Mivart had described to me--contortions which haunted me as much as though I had seen them?
Chapter 8 of Aylwin by Theodore Watts-Dunton holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 395 sentences of Aylwin, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Aylwin by Theodore Watts-Dunton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Aylwin by Theodore Watts-Dunton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8713 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13454 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13454, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1743 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Aylwin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Aylwin 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 Aylwin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
