Chapter 8 of Clue of the Silken Ladder is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Clue of the Silken Ladder is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What happened at the seance?" "Why, nothing. The table moved and we heard a few raps. That was all." "No message from Cousin David?"
Chapter 8 of Clue of the Silken Ladder is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading “"No message from Cousin David?"”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “"No message from Cousin David?"”
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “"What happened at the seance?"”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “"No message from Cousin David?"”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “The table moved and we heard a few raps.”
plural of “rap” — a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
From this reading “The table moved and we heard a few raps.”
a meeting of spiritualists
From this reading “"What happened at the seance?"”
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “The table moved and we heard a few raps.”
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.
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 The table moved and we heard a few raps.
(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 That was all."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The table moved and we heard a few raps.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "What happened at the seance?"
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading "No message from Cousin David?"
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading "No message from Cousin David?"
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The table moved and we heard a few raps.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "No message from Cousin David?"
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "What happened at the seance?"
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The table moved and we heard a few raps.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading "No message from Cousin David?"
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The table moved and we heard a few raps.
not any; not one
From this reading "No message from Cousin David?"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Why, nothing.
plural of “rap” — a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
From this reading The table moved and we heard a few raps.
a meeting of spiritualists
From this reading "What happened at the seance?"
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The table moved and we heard a few raps.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was all."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "What happened at the seance?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was all."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The table moved and we heard a few raps.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What happened at the seance?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, nothing.
Chapter 8 of Clue of the Silken Ladder by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of Clue of the Silken Ladder, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Clue of the Silken Ladder by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Clue of the Silken Ladder by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3711 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34591 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34591, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 743 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clue of the Silken Ladder section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Clue of the Silken Ladder 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 Clue of the Silken Ladder, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
