Chapter 8 of The Spell is here in full — 612 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Spell is here in full — 612 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Really?" The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed. "A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?" "No, simply a friend." "Oh!"
Chapter 8 of The Spell is here in full — 612 sentences across 123 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/122 · 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.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.”
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “"No, simply a friend."”
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading “The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.”
past form of “manifest” — provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes
From this reading “The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “"Really?"”
and nothing more
From this reading “"No, simply a friend."”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “"A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a young female
In this reading “"A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"”
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 young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "No, simply a friend."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.
past form of “manifest” — provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes
From this reading The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, simply a friend."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!"
by chance
From this reading "A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Really?"
express in words
From this reading "A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"
and nothing more
From this reading "No, simply a friend."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The contessa manifested an interest not wholly assumed.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "A young woman, you say--his wife, perhaps?"
Chapter 8 of The Spell by William Dana Orcutt holds 612 sentences, grouped into 123 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 612 sentences of The Spell, unabridged, divided into 123 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Spell by William Dana Orcutt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 612 sentences, grouped into 123 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 123 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 123 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 Spell by William Dana Orcutt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35607 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35607, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 451 minutes of reading across 1083 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Spell section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Spell 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 Spell, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
