Chapter 18 of Free Air is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Free Air is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners. The hot day had turned into a cold night. Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire. He moved quietly and easily. He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
Chapter 18 of Free Air is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
From this reading “THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.”
made by intertwining threads in a series of connected loops rather than by weaving
From this reading “Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.”
social deportment
From this reading “THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.”
fish sperm or sperm-filled reproductive gland; having a creamy texture
From this reading “THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.”
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading “He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.”
any loose flowing garment
From this reading “Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.”
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.”
having tucked or being tucked
From this reading “Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.”
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 “THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.”
In this reading “The hot day had turned into a cold night.”
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 The hot day had turned into a cold night.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The hot day had turned into a cold night.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The hot day had turned into a cold night.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading He moved quietly and easily.
a misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The hot day had turned into a cold night.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He moved quietly and easily.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading The hot day had turned into a cold night.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The hot day had turned into a cold night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
made by intertwining threads in a series of connected loops rather than by weaving
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
social deportment
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
fish sperm or sperm-filled reproductive gland; having a creamy texture
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading He moved quietly and easily.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The hot day had turned into a cold night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
with low volume
From this reading He moved quietly and easily.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
any loose flowing garment
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
having tucked or being tucked
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The hot day had turned into a cold night.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He kept poking up the fire, smiling at Claire as he did so.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading THE FALLACY OF ROMANCE During dinner Milt watched Jeff Saxton's manner and manners.
at the time that
From this reading Jeff tucked the knitted robe about Claire's shoulders, when she returned to the fire.
Chapter 18 of Free Air by Sinclair Lewis holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 90 sentences of Free Air, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Free Air by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Free Air by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6146 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 512 minutes of reading across 1230 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Free Air section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Free Air 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 Free Air, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
