Chapter 18 of Esther Waters is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Esther Waters is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"And you believed him?" "I daresay it is very foolish of me. But one can't help oneself. Did you ever really care for a man?" And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
Chapter 18 of Esther Waters is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.”
gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby
From this reading “And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.”
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “"And you believed him?"”
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading “And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.”
without stop or interruption
From this reading “And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.”
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading “"I daresay it is very foolish of me.”
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading “And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.”
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 Did you ever really care for a man?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And you believed him?"
react verbally
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "And you believed him?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But one can't help oneself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But one can't help oneself.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Did you ever really care for a man?"
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
without stop or interruption
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I daresay it is very foolish of me.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did you ever really care for a man?"
at any time
From this reading Did you ever really care for a man?"
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading "I daresay it is very foolish of me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Did you ever really care for a man?"
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading But one can't help oneself.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "And you believed him?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I daresay it is very foolish of me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I daresay it is very foolish of me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I daresay it is very foolish of me.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Did you ever really care for a man?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I daresay it is very foolish of me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I daresay it is very foolish of me.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But one can't help oneself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But one can't help oneself.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Did you ever really care for a man?"
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I daresay it is very foolish of me.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading And without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued her babbling chatter.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And you believed him?"
Chapter 18 of Esther Waters by George Moore holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of Esther Waters, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Esther Waters by George Moore exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Esther Waters by George Moore on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8819 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8157 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8157, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1764 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Esther Waters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Esther Waters 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 Esther Waters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
