Chapter 8 of The Touchstone is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Touchstone is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Say you hate me!” he persisted. “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile. She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand. “Was it much--?” she began at length. “Much--?” he returned, vaguely.
Chapter 8 of The Touchstone is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 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.
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading “She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.”
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading “She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.”
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading ““Say you hate me!” he persisted.”
past form of “persist” — continue to exist
From this reading ““Say you hate me!” he persisted.”
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading “She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.”
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading ““That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.”
in a vague way
From this reading ““Much--?” he returned, vaguely.”
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 “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Was it much--?” she began at length.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Was it much--?” she began at length.
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading “Say you hate me!” he persisted.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Say you hate me!” he persisted.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Was it much--?” she began at length.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “Was it much--?” she began at length.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Say you hate me!” he persisted.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “Was it much--?” she began at length.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
past form of “persist” — continue to exist
From this reading “Say you hate me!” he persisted.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “Much--?” he returned, vaguely.
express in words
From this reading “Say you hate me!” he persisted.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
in a vague way
From this reading “Much--?” he returned, vaguely.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Was it much--?” she began at length.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “That would have been so simple,” she answered with a strange smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She dropped into a chair near the writing-table and rested a bowed forehead on her hand.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Say you hate me!” he persisted.
Chapter 8 of The Touchstone by Edith Wharton holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 193 sentences of The Touchstone, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Touchstone by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Touchstone by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1596 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #267 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #267, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 133 minutes of reading across 320 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Touchstone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Touchstone 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 Touchstone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
