Chapter 8 of Down the Snow Stairs is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Down the Snow Stairs is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PICTURES IN THE FOG. LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon. Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider. She saw a dreadful thing. An immense cobweb, and in it a child was caught.
Chapter 8 of Down the Snow Stairs is here in full — 301 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
-ing form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.”
a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spider
From this reading “An immense cobweb, and in it a child was caught.”
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading “PICTURES IN THE FOG.”
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
From this reading “LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.”
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading “LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.”
become covered with mist
From this reading “Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.”
transmitting light; able to be seen through with clarity
From this reading “LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.”
comparative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.”
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 saw a dreadful thing.”
In this reading “Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.”
In this reading “PICTURES IN THE FOG.”
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 LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
-ing form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An immense cobweb, and in it a child was caught.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading An immense cobweb, and in it a child was caught.
a young person of either sex
From this reading An immense cobweb, and in it a child was caught.
a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spider
From this reading An immense cobweb, and in it a child was caught.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading She saw a dreadful thing.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading PICTURES IN THE FOG.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
not accessible to view
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading An immense cobweb, and in it a child was caught.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PICTURES IN THE FOG.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
become covered with mist
From this reading Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
coated with paint
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading PICTURES IN THE FOG.
cut with a saw
From this reading She saw a dreadful thing.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She saw a dreadful thing.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
express in words
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PICTURES IN THE FOG.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
a special situation
From this reading She saw a dreadful thing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
transmitting light; able to be seen through with clarity
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading An immense cobweb, and in it a child was caught.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading LOVE stretched her fair hand, and Kitty could not tell if the fog grew transparent, allowing her to see what it had hitherto hidden, or if a picture painted itself thereupon.
comparative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Her eyes, fixed upon the dim mist, seemed to open wider and wider.
Chapter 8 of Down the Snow Stairs by Alice Corkran holds 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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 301 sentences of Down the Snow Stairs, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Down the Snow Stairs by Alice Corkran exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 301 sentences, grouped into 61 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 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 61 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 Down the Snow Stairs by Alice Corkran on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2639 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57413 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57413, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 219 minutes of reading across 528 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Down the Snow Stairs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Down the Snow Stairs 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 Down the Snow Stairs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
