Chapter 18 of Checkmate is here in full — 158 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 Checkmate is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BETWEEN FRIENDS. Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite. At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?" "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden. "But I mean at play to retrieve," said Van.
Chapter 18 of Checkmate is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading “Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.”
showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil
From this reading “"Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.”
plural of “hit” — (baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball)
From this reading “"Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.”
the paved surface of a thoroughfare
From this reading “Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.”
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading “"But I mean at play to retrieve," said Van.”
in a rueful manner
From this reading “Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.”
at any time that; every time that
From this reading “"Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.”
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 a lengthy or prolix manner
In this reading “At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"”
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 At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading BETWEEN FRIENDS.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But I mean at play to retrieve," said Van.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
showing the cunning or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading BETWEEN FRIENDS.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
plural of “hit” — (baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball)
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "But I mean at play to retrieve," said Van.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
the paved surface of a thoroughfare
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
participate in games or sport
From this reading "But I mean at play to retrieve," said Van.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading "But I mean at play to retrieve," said Van.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
in a rueful manner
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But I mean at play to retrieve," said Van.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
at any time that; every time that
From this reading "Whenever I give it a chance it hits me so devilish hard," replied Richard Arden.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Van was looking ruefully out of the window, down upon the deserted pavement opposite.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading At length he said,-- "And why don't you give your luck a chance?"
Chapter 18 of Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu holds 158 sentences, grouped into 32 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 158 sentences of Checkmate, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 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 Checkmate by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9388 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38460 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38460, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1878 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Checkmate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Checkmate 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 Checkmate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
