Chapter 9 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different. I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it. Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply. "Ah, if I had to choose between you--!" "You would let her take her chance?
Chapter 9 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading “I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.”
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “"Ah, if I had to choose between you--!"”
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading “Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.”
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading “"Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.”
the act of punishing
From this reading “Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.”
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading “"Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.”
the act of separating grain from chaff
From this reading “I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.”
an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion
From this reading “I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, if I had to choose between you--!"
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading "Ah, if I had to choose between you--!"
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "You would let her take her chance?
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading "Ah, if I had to choose between you--!"
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Ah, if I had to choose between you--!"
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Ah, if I had to choose between you--!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "You would let her take her chance?
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
engage in
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
the act of punishing
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
the act of separating grain from chaff
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
an operation that segregates items into groups according to a specified criterion
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
carry out
From this reading "You would let her take her chance?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Do you want my punishment to fall on _her?_" She looked at him long and deeply.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I shall go on being what I have always been--sifting and sorting, as she calls it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "You would let her take her chance?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Harm _her?_" "To sacrifice you wouldn't make me different.
Chapter 9 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories by Edith Wharton holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 9 holds 415 sentences of The Descent of Man and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 9 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 The Descent of Man and Other Stories by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4069 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4519 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4519, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 339 minutes of reading across 814 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Descent of Man and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Descent of Man 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 The Descent of Man and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
