Chapter 18 of A Mortal Antipathy is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of A Mortal Antipathy is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I commit the secret of my life to your charge. My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk. The key is--put your hand under my pillow. If I die, let the story be known. It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
Chapter 18 of A Mortal Antipathy is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading ““I commit the secret of my life to your charge.”
perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
From this reading ““I commit the secret of my life to your charge.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.”
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “The key is--put your hand under my pillow.”
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading “My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.”
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading “It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.””
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “The key is--put your hand under my pillow.”
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading “It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.””
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 My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If I die, let the story be known.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading If I die, let the story be known.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The key is--put your hand under my pillow.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If I die, let the story be known.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading The key is--put your hand under my pillow.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading If I die, let the story be known.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading If I die, let the story be known.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading The key is--put your hand under my pillow.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The key is--put your hand under my pillow.
a mild rebuke or criticism
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
except for; apart from
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The key is--put your hand under my pillow.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading My whole story is told in a paper locked in that desk.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading It will show that I was--human--and save my memory from reproach.”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I commit the secret of my life to your charge.
Chapter 18 of A Mortal Antipathy by Oliver Wendell Holmes holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 18 holds 160 sentences of A Mortal Antipathy, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of A Mortal Antipathy by Oliver Wendell Holmes exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 18 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 A Mortal Antipathy by Oliver Wendell Holmes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3911 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2698 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2698, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 325 minutes of reading across 783 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Mortal Antipathy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of A Mortal Antipathy 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 A Mortal Antipathy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
