Chapter 18 of A wilful ward is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of A wilful ward is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir. She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him. "You will be running about directly," said Geraldine. "Shall you not be glad?" "Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.
Chapter 18 of A wilful ward is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
provided with something intended to increase its beauty or distinction
From this reading “She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.”
a lady's bedroom or private sitting room
From this reading “WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.”
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.”
exceedingly bad
From this reading “"Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.”
possessive form of “monk” — a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading “"Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.”
a person authorized to act for another
From this reading “WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.”
a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage)
From this reading “WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.”
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 “WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.”
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 WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "You will be running about directly," said Geraldine.
provided with something intended to increase its beauty or distinction
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You will be running about directly," said Geraldine.
a lady's bedroom or private sitting room
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
without deviation
From this reading "You will be running about directly," said Geraldine.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "Shall you not be glad?"
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
exceedingly bad
From this reading "Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
possessive form of “monk” — a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading "Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Shall you not be glad?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
a person authorized to act for another
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading "You will be running about directly," said Geraldine.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You will be running about directly," said Geraldine.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Shall you not be glad?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will be running about directly," said Geraldine.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She and Geraldine had adorned it with flowers and autumn foliage, and were sitting by him.
a man's courting of a woman; seeking the affections of a woman (usually with the hope of marriage)
From this reading WOOING BY PROXY IN three more days Ralph was dressed and lying on a couch in Kathleen's boudoir.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, but it will be horrid to go to Monk's How.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will be running about directly," said Geraldine.
Chapter 18 of A wilful ward by Ruth Lamb holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 18 holds 256 sentences of A wilful ward, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of A wilful ward by Ruth Lamb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 wilful ward by Ruth Lamb on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4189 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71061 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71061, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A wilful ward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of A wilful ward 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 wilful ward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
