Chapter 8 of Twilight sleep is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Twilight sleep is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her. Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had! She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks. She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself. "Yes--yes?
Chapter 8 of Twilight sleep is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 metal e.g.
From this reading “On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.”
past form of “exact” — claim as due or just
From this reading “She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself.”
past form of “fumble” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading “She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.”
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading “She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.”
United States inventor who built a steam-powered automobile (1849-1918)
From this reading “Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.”
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading “On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.”
in an unsteady manner
From this reading “She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.”
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.
electric bell that rings to signal a call
In this reading “On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.”
In this reading “On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.”
In this reading “She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself.”
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.
past form of “arrest” — take into custody
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
of metal e.g.
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
past form of “exact” — claim as due or just
From this reading She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
past form of “fumble” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
a condition requiring relief
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
United States inventor who built a steam-powered automobile (1849-1918)
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Stanley, surely; he must have felt the same need that she had!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading On the threshold of her room, the telegram crumpled in her hand, the telephone bell arrested her.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself.
in an unsteady manner
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading She had waited too long; she had exacted the impossible of herself.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She fumbled uncertainly with the receiver; the tears were running down her cheeks.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes--yes?
Chapter 8 of Twilight sleep by Edith Wharton holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of Twilight sleep, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Twilight sleep by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Twilight sleep by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
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 Twilight sleep section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Twilight sleep 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 Twilight sleep, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
