Chapter 8 of Options is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Options is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile. "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie. "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals. You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion. There were a good many corks pulled.
Chapter 8 of Options is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
plural of “admirer” — a person who backs a politician or a team etc.
From this reading “"You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.”
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading “"I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.”
plural of “cork” — outer bark of the cork oak; used for stoppers for bottles etc.
From this reading “There were a good many corks pulled.”
amazingly impressive; suggestive of the flashing of lightning
From this reading “"I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.”
without doubt; certainly
From this reading “"You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.”
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading “"I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.”
plural of “proposal” — something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading “"You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.”
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “"You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.”
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 wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
plural of “admirer” — a person who backs a politician or a team etc.
From this reading "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
moderately formal; requiring a dinner jacket
From this reading "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
plural of “cork” — outer bark of the cork oak; used for stoppers for bottles etc.
From this reading There were a good many corks pulled.
amazingly impressive; suggestive of the flashing of lightning
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.
without doubt; certainly
From this reading "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading There were a good many corks pulled.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
by chance
From this reading "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
plural of “proposal” — something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading "You have had, doubtless, many admirers, and perhaps other proposals.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading There were a good many corks pulled.
To recall to mind.
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were a good many corks pulled.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "You are on the stage, Miss De Ormond," went on Black-Tie.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You must remember, too, that we were a party of merrymakers on that occasion.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I wish I had you for a press agent, Mr. Carteret," said the beauty, with a dazzling smile.
Chapter 8 of Options by O. Henry holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 201 sentences of Options, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Options by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 Options by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1583 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1583, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 350 minutes of reading across 841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Options section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Options 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 Options, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
