Chapter 8 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous. Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply. "Really, that's very kind of you," he said. "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement. You will be home by midnight, I suppose?"
Chapter 8 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading “The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.”
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading “"But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.”
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading “Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.”
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “"But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.”
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading “Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.”
be unsure or weak
From this reading “The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.”
appeal or request earnestly
From this reading “"But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.”
earlier in time
From this reading “"But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.”
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 "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You will be home by midnight, I suppose?"
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading You will be home by midnight, I suppose?"
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.
be unsure or weak
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading You will be home by midnight, I suppose?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "Really, that's very kind of you," he said.
immediately past
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading You will be home by midnight, I suppose?"
easily agitated
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Really, that's very kind of you," he said.
appeal or request earnestly
From this reading "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
earlier in time
From this reading "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Really, that's very kind of you," he said.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Really, that's very kind of you," he said.
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.
express a supposition
From this reading You will be home by midnight, I suppose?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Really, that's very kind of you," he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But I am compelled to plead a prior engagement.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Really, that's very kind of you," he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The falter in the last sentence betrayed the fact that she was nervous.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You will be home by midnight, I suppose?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wingarde smiled faintly, contemptuously, as he made reply.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Really, that's very kind of you," he said.
Chapter 8 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Rosa Mundi and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7885 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1577 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rosa Mundi and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Rosa Mundi and Other Stories 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 Rosa Mundi and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
