Chapter 8 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street. Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile. The young man’s nimble glance followed Granice’s. “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly. “Oh, yes--it was 104.”
Chapter 8 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
in a brisk manner
From this reading ““Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.”
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.”
people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
From this reading “Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.”
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading “The young man’s nimble glance followed Granice’s.”
having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
From this reading “Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.”
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading “V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.”
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading “Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.”
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 “Oh, yes--it was 104.”
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
in a brisk manner
From this reading “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
with desperation
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The young man’s nimble glance followed Granice’s.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading The young man’s nimble glance followed Granice’s.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The young man’s nimble glance followed Granice’s.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
people of Ireland or of Irish extraction
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Oh, yes--it was 104.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man’s nimble glance followed Granice’s.
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading The young man’s nimble glance followed Granice’s.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, yes--it was 104.”
having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
showing signs of wear and tear
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading V Despairingly, Granice gazed up and down the shabby street.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Oh, yes--it was 104.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
an affirmative
From this reading “Oh, yes--it was 104.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Sure of the number, are you?” he asked briskly.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Beside him stood a young man with bright prominent eyes, a smooth but not too smoothly-shaven face, and an Irish smile.
Chapter 8 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 by Edith Wharton holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 190 sentences of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #295, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 213 minutes of reading across 514 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1 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 Early Short Fiction of Edith Wharton — Part 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
