Chapter 18 of Alien Minds is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Alien Minds is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door. It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway. "Well, you're awake," he said. "You sober now?" "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
Chapter 18 of Alien Minds is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
(law) a defense by an accused person purporting to show that he or she could not have committed the crime in question
From this reading “"I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.”
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “"Well, you're awake," he said.”
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading “It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.”
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “"I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.”
construct, build, or erect
From this reading “"I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.”
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading “It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “"I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.”
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “"You sober now?"”
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 “It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.”
In this reading “It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.”
In this reading “It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.”
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 It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
(law) a defense by an accused person purporting to show that he or she could not have committed the crime in question
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading "Well, you're awake," he said.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
construct, build, or erect
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, you're awake," he said.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
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 It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "You sober now?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well, you're awake," he said.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading "You sober now?"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading It opened, and one of the palace guard officers stood in the doorway.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I never was drunk," Hanlon snapped, sitting erect to give his thought-out alibi.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, you're awake," he said.
at the time that
From this reading It was some two hours later when Hanlon, in his own body, heard steps outside, and the sound of a key in his prison door.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You sober now?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, you're awake," he said.
Chapter 18 of Alien Minds by E. Everett (Edward Everett) Evans holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 172 sentences of Alien Minds, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Alien Minds by E. Everett (Edward Everett) Evans exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Alien Minds by E. Everett (Edward Everett) Evans on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4078 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 339 minutes of reading across 816 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Alien Minds section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Alien Minds 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 Alien Minds, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
