Chapter 8 of The Fifth Ace is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Fifth Ace is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?" Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening. "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically. "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age." Mrs. Halstead shuddered.
Chapter 8 of The Fifth Ace is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
contrived by art rather than nature
From this reading “"She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."”
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading “Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.”
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “"A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.”
American Revolutionary leader from Virginia whose objections led to the drafting of the Bill of Rights (1725-1792)
From this reading “Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.”
possessive form of “north” — the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading “Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.”
in a manner that relieves fatigue and restores vitality
From this reading “"She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."”
past form of “shudder” — shake, as from cold
From this reading “Mrs. Halstead shuddered.”
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.”
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 "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.
how long something has existed
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
contrived by art rather than nature
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
according to ordinary expectations
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
not fake or counterfeit
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.
American Revolutionary leader from Virginia whose objections led to the drafting of the Bill of Rights (1725-1792)
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Halstead shuddered.
possessive form of “north” — the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
in a manner that relieves fatigue and restores vitality
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
past form of “shudder” — shake, as from cold
From this reading Mrs. Halstead shuddered.
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "She's refreshingly genuine and original, in this artificial, cut-and-dried age."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
past form of “twinkle” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Mason North's eyes twinkled as he put the question to the Ripley Halsteads in solemn conference on the following evening.
precisely as stated
From this reading "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading WILLA SITS IN "Well, what do you think of her?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "A very interesting young woman," Halstead replied emphatically.
Chapter 8 of The Fifth Ace by Isabel Ostrander holds 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 251 sentences of The Fifth Ace, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Fifth Ace by Isabel Ostrander exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Fifth Ace by Isabel Ostrander on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5674 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23885 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23885, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 472 minutes of reading across 1135 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fifth Ace section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Fifth Ace 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 Fifth Ace, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
