Chapter 8 of The Testing of Diana Mallory is here in full — 506 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Testing of Diana Mallory is here in full — 506 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!" The voice was determined. Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker. She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room. The morning was half-way through.
Chapter 8 of The Testing of Diana Mallory is here in full — 506 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/101 · 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.
characterized by great determination
From this reading “The voice was determined.”
English aristocrat who was the first wife of Prince Charles; her death in an automobile accident in Paris produced intense national mourning (1961-1997)
From this reading “"I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"”
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.”
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading “Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.”
inflected form of “waylay” — wait in hiding to attack
From this reading “She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.”
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 "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.
characterized by great determination
From this reading The voice was determined.
English aristocrat who was the first wife of Prince Charles; her death in an automobile accident in Paris produced intense national mourning (1961-1997)
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.
the act of departing
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The morning was half-way through.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
by chance
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading Muriel Colwood--startled and dismayed--surveyed the speaker.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The voice was determined.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The morning was half-way through.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The voice was determined.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The voice was determined.
inflected form of “waylay” — wait in hiding to attack
From this reading She had been waylaid on the threshold of her room.
(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 "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I thought I'd perhaps better let you know--I'm--well, I'm going to have a talk with Diana this morning!"
Chapter 8 of The Testing of Diana Mallory by Humphry, Mrs. Ward holds 506 sentences, grouped into 102 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 506 sentences of The Testing of Diana Mallory, unabridged, divided into 102 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Testing of Diana Mallory by Humphry, Mrs. Ward exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 506 sentences, grouped into 102 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 102 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 102 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 Testing of Diana Mallory by Humphry, Mrs. Ward on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9767 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13453 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13453, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1954 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Testing of Diana Mallory section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Testing of Diana Mallory 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 Testing of Diana Mallory, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
