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

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of John Barleycorn is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Jack London • Curated US English Learning Edition

Chapter 18 of John Barleycorn by Jack London holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 John Barleycorn contain?

Chapter 18 holds 162 sentences of John Barleycorn, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of John Barleycorn by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 John Barleycorn?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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 John Barleycorn

Common questions about reading John Barleycorn by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of John Barleycorn?

Yes. All 3987 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #318 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of John Barleycorn is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #318, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does John Barleycorn take to read?

About 332 minutes of reading across 798 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read John Barleycorn section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of John Barleycorn 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 John Barleycorn

Words and structures a reader meets early in John Barleycorn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Election
A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Barleycorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
California
A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Barleycorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Afternoon
A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Barleycorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ridden
A word that appears in the opening chapter of John Barleycorn; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for John Barleycorn
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.
I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.
I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.
Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.
Also, the family needed the money.
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.

John Barleycorn

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of John Barleycorn is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.
Line 2
I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.
Line 3
I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.
Line 4
Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.
Line 5
Also, the family needed the money.

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.

Books noun US /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading “I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.”

Velmora curated lexicon
All words in this reading · 49

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

a

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
Also

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

From this reading Also, the family needed the money.

Pending verification
and

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
back

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Velmora curated lexicon
care

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
dead

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
didn't

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

From this reading I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.

Pending verification
down

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
drinking

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
family

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

From this reading Also, the family needed the money.

Pending verification
for

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
Free

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
greater

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
had

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
I

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

From this reading I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.

Pending verification
infatuation

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
it

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

From this reading I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.

Pending verification
job

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
Library

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
life

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

From this reading I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.

Pending verification
like

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

From this reading I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.

Pending verification
looks

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

From this reading I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.

Pending verification
money

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

From this reading Also, the family needed the money.

Pending verification
mother

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
My

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
needed

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

From this reading Also, the family needed the money.

Pending verification
nor

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

From this reading I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.

Pending verification
Oakland

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
oats

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
of

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

From this reading I didn't like the looks of it, nor the life.

Pending verification
quite

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
read

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
regular

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
said

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
settled

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
sown

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
the

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
Then

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
time

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
to

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
too

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
understanding

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
vagrancy

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
wandered

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification
was

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
water-front

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

From this reading My infatuation for the Oakland water-front was quite dead.

Pending verification
wild

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

From this reading Then, too, my mother said I had sown my wild oats and it was time I settled down to a regular job.

Pending verification
with

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

From this reading I didn't care for the drinking, nor the vagrancy of it, and I wandered back to the Oakland Free Library and read the books with greater understanding.

Pending verification