Chapter 8 of The wrong letter is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The wrong letter is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington. He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing. The express from Wilton-on-Sea was up to time. From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended. Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
Chapter 8 of The wrong letter is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading “Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.”
a space into which an area is subdivided
From this reading “From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.”
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading “He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.”
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading “From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.”
acting or arriving or performed exactly at the time appointed
From this reading “Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.”
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading “Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.”
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading “Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.”
United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)
From this reading “From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.”
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 “From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.”
In this reading “Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.”
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 From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
make calm or still
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
a space into which an area is subdivided
From this reading From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
give expression to
From this reading The express from Wilton-on-Sea was up to time.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The express from Wilton-on-Sea was up to time.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
a message received and understood
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
not any; not one
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
acting or arriving or performed exactly at the time appointed
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The express from Wilton-on-Sea was up to time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He had dressed himself up for the occasion, though he felt contempt for so doing.
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Valuable Information Collins was punctual to the minute at Paddington.
United States telephone engineer who assisted Alexander Graham Bell in his experiments (1854-1934)
From this reading From a first-class compartment Mabel Watson descended.
a Caucasian
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The express from Wilton-on-Sea was up to time.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading Her face was white and calm, but she wore no veil.
Chapter 8 of The wrong letter by Walter S. (Walter Sidney) Masterman holds 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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 244 sentences of The wrong letter, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The wrong letter by Walter S. (Walter Sidney) Masterman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 wrong letter by Walter S. (Walter Sidney) Masterman 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 wrong letter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The wrong letter 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 wrong letter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
