Chapter 8 of The sporting chance is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The sporting chance is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MOSTYN ENTERTAINS A GUEST. For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment. Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving. It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence. She was evidently possessed of a fine spirit.
Chapter 8 of The sporting chance is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.”
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading “Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving.”
third-person singular of “entertain” — provide entertainment for
From this reading “MOSTYN ENTERTAINS A GUEST.”
spectators at a golf or tennis match
From this reading “For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.”
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “MOSTYN ENTERTAINS A GUEST.”
inflected form of “petrify” — cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned from fright
From this reading “For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.”
freed from illness or injury
From this reading “It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.”
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.
In this reading “For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.”
In this reading “For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.”
In this reading “For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.”
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 MOSTYN ENTERTAINS A GUEST.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
lacking funds
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
third-person singular of “entertain” — provide entertainment for
From this reading MOSTYN ENTERTAINS A GUEST.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading She was evidently possessed of a fine spirit.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading She was evidently possessed of a fine spirit.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
spectators at a golf or tennis match
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
a young female
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading MOSTYN ENTERTAINS A GUEST.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MOSTYN ENTERTAINS A GUEST.
in motion
From this reading Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
inflected form of “petrify” — cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned from fright
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading She was evidently possessed of a fine spirit.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Neither the one nor the other seemed capable of moving.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was evidently possessed of a fine spirit.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading She was evidently possessed of a fine spirit.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a few moments they stood, the man in the gallery, the girl in the hall, staring at each other in petrified astonishment.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
which person or people
From this reading It was the girl who recovered herself first and broke the silence.
Chapter 8 of The sporting chance by Alice Askew holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 201 sentences of The sporting chance, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The sporting chance by Alice Askew exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 sporting chance by Alice Askew on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The sporting chance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The sporting chance 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 sporting chance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
