Chapter 18 of Fathers of Men is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Fathers of Men is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?” It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder. Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy. There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised. But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.
Chapter 18 of Fathers of Men is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
make certain of
From this reading “There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.”
the part of the superior limb between the elbow and the wrist
From this reading “It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.”
a beam made usually of steel; a main support in a structure
From this reading “It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.”
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading “There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.”
showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.
From this reading “Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.”
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading “There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.”
the name used to identify the members of a family (as distinguished from each member's given name)
From this reading “There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.”
a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy
From this reading “DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?””
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.
draw advantages from
In this reading “But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.”
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 Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.
make certain of
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.
a youthful male person
From this reading Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
divisible by two
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
the part of the superior limb between the elbow and the wrist
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
a beam made usually of steel; a main support in a structure
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.
From this reading Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.
in a supernatural manner
From this reading Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
the name used to identify the members of a family (as distinguished from each member's given name)
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
carry out
From this reading But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was not even the sound of his own surname to assure Jan that he was recognised.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But he was far too startled to attempt to take advantage of that.
a lightweight handheld collapsible canopy
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Dudley Relton, and his forearm felt like a steel girder.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet his tone was preternaturally polite as between master and boy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading DARK HORSES “Do you mind my coming under your umbrella?”
Chapter 18 of Fathers of Men by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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 230 sentences of Fathers of Men, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Fathers of Men by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Fathers of Men by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5729 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46170 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46170, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 477 minutes of reading across 1146 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fathers of Men section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Fathers of Men 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 Fathers of Men, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
