Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Desperate Remedies
Desperate Remedies

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Desperate Remedies is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Desperate Remedies
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:
Tis She, and here Lo!
I unclothe and clear My wishes cloudy character.’
Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.
Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Desperate Remedies

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Desperate Remedies is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:
/ˌsɪθərˈiːə əˈpɪrd ɪn ðə skaɪ hɪz hɑːrt ˈstɑːrtɪd ʌp ənd spoʊk/
Line 2
Tis She, and here Lo!
Line 3
I unclothe and clear My wishescloudy character.’
Line 4
Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.
Line 5
Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.
/sʌtʃ ˈwɪmən ɑːr nɑːt ˌnesəˈserəli ðə ˈɡreɪtəst ʌv ðer seks bʌt ðer ɑːr ˈveri fjuː ʌv ðem/

Learner Dictionary

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.

cloudy adjective US /ˈklaʊdi/

lacking definite form or limits

From this reading “I unclothe and clear My wishes’ cloudy character.’”

comprehending verb US /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhendɪŋ/

-ing form of “comprehend” — get the meaning of something

From this reading “Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.”

Cytherea noun US /ˌsɪθərˈiːə/

goddess of love and beauty and daughter of Zeus in ancient mythology; identified with Roman Venus

From this reading “Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:”

faithfulness noun US /ˈfeɪθfəlnes/

the quality of being faithful

From this reading “Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.”

finds noun US /faɪndz/

plural of “find” — a productive insight

From this reading “Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.”

kindle verb US /ˈkɪndəl/

catch fire

From this reading “Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.”

necessarily adverb US /ˌnesəˈserəli/

in an essential manner

From this reading “Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.”

treachery noun US /ˈtretʃ.ər.i/

Betrayal of trust; deceptive action or disloyalty against a host or ally.

From this reading “Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

alreadyadverbUS /ɔːlˈredi/

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

appearedverbUS /əˈpɪrd/

past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

cannot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

characternounUS /ˈkerɪktər/

an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

From this reading I unclothe and clear My wishes’ cloudy character.’

clearverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

From this reading I unclothe and clear My wishes’ cloudy character.’

cloudyadjectiveUS /ˈklaʊdi/

lacking definite form or limits

From this reading I unclothe and clear My wishes’ cloudy character.’

comprehendingverbUS /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhendɪŋ/

-ing form of “comprehend” — get the meaning of something

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

CythereanounUS /ˌsɪθərˈiːə/

goddess of love and beauty and daughter of Zeus in ancient mythology; identified with Roman Venus

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

emotionnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃən/

any strong feeling

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

faithfulnessnounUS /ˈfeɪθfəlnes/

the quality of being faithful

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

findsnounUS /faɪndz/

plural of “find” — a productive insight

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

greatestadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtəst/

highest in quality

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading ‘Tis She, and here Lo!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I unclothe and clear My wishes’ cloudy character.’

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

judgmentnounUS /ˈdʒʌdʒmənt/

an opinion formed by judging something

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

kindleverbUS /ˈkɪndəl/

catch fire

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

Lo

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ‘Tis She, and here Lo!

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

man'snounUS /mænz/

possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I unclothe and clear My wishes’ cloudy character.’

necessarilyadverbUS /ˌnesəˈserəli/

in an essential manner

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

pacenounUS /peɪs/

the rate of moving (especially walking or running)

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

rapidlyadverbUS /ˈræpədli/

with speed

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

riseverbUS /raɪz/

move upward

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

sexnounUS /seks/

activities associated with sexual intercourse

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading ‘Tis She, and here Lo!

situationnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

skynounUS /skaɪ/

the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

SomeadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

startedverbUS /ˈstɑːrtɪd/

past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

SuchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

TisnounUS /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading ‘Tis She, and here Lo!

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

treacherynounUS /ˈtretʃ.ər.i/

Betrayal of trust; deceptive action or disloyalty against a host or ally.

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

unclotheverb

strip

From this reading I unclothe and clear My wishes’ cloudy character.’

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Cytherea appeared in the sky: his heart started up and spoke:

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Such women are not necessarily the greatest of their sex, but there are very few of them.

wishesnounUS /ˈwɪʃɪz/

plural of “wish” — a specific feeling of desire

From this reading I unclothe and clear My wishes’ cloudy character.’

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Some women kindle emotion so rapidly in a man’s heart that the judgment cannot keep pace with its rise, and finds, on comprehending the situation, that faithfulness to the old love is already treachery to the new.

Chapter 18 of Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

What does chapter 18 of Desperate Remedies contain?

Chapter 18 holds 188 sentences of Desperate Remedies, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

How do I study chapter 18 of Desperate Remedies?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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.

Can chapter 18 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Desperate Remedies

Common questions about reading Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Desperate Remedies?

Yes. All 7979 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3044 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Desperate Remedies is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3044, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Desperate Remedies take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1596 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Desperate Remedies section by section

How to work through Desperate Remedies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Desperate Remedies to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Desperate Remedies

Words and structures a reader meets early in Desperate Remedies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Following
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Desperate Remedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Desperate Remedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Desperate Remedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Published
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Desperate Remedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.