Life, the Interpreter

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of Life, the Interpreter is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Phyllis Bottome • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“Where will God be absent?

In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

“MY DEAR MURIEL, “You and I have always been good friends, and though I have never said anything to you about your trouble over Jack Hurstly it has not been because I have not felt for you.

I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVIII Reading 1/18

Life, the Interpreter

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of Life, the Interpreter is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

“Where will God be absent?

/wer wɪl ɡɑːd biː ˈæbsənt/

Line 2

In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

/ɪn hɪz feɪs ɪz laɪt bʌt ɪn hɪz ˈʃæd.oʊ ˈhiːlɪŋ tuː/

Line 3

“MY DEAR MURIEL, “You and I have always been good friends, and though I have never said anything to you about your trouble over Jack Hurstly it has not been because I have not felt for you.

Line 4

I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

/aɪ θɔːt ðæt juː wɜːr ˈveri ˈfuːlɪʃ tuː ɡɪv hɪm ʌp/

Line 5

Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

/stɪl juː wɜːr ˈnevər ˈrɪli ˈsuːtɪd tuː iːtʃ ˈʌðər ənd ɪt ɪz ˈbetər tuː ɡɪv ə θɪŋ ʌp ðæn tuː hoʊld ɑːn tuː ɪt tuː lɔːŋ/

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.

absent adjective US /ˈæbsənt/

not being in a specified place

From this reading ““Where will God be absent?”

foolish adjective US /ˈfuːlɪʃ/

devoid of good sense or judgment

From this reading “I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.”

healing noun US /ˈhiːlɪŋ/

the natural process by which the body repairs itself

From this reading “In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.””

hold verb US /hoʊld/

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

From this reading “Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.”

Jack noun US /dʒæk/

a small worthless amount

From this reading ““MY DEAR MURIEL, “You and I have always been good friends, and though I have never said anything to you about your trouble over Jack Hurstly it has not been because I have not felt for you.”

Shadow noun US /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading “In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.””

suited adjective US /ˈsuːtɪd/

meant or adapted for an occasion or use

From this reading “Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.”

trouble noun US /ˈtrʌbəl/

a source of difficulty

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

good friends adjective + noun counted as “good friend”

In this reading ““MY DEAR MURIEL, “You and I have always been good friends, and though I have never said anything to you about your trouble over Jack Hurstly it has not been because I have not felt for you.”

too long adverb + adjective

In this reading “Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.”

hold on verb + particle

hold firmly

In this reading “Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.”

All words in this reading · 62

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 Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “MY DEAR MURIEL, “You and I have always been good friends, and though I have never said anything to you about your trouble over Jack Hurstly it has not been because I have not felt for you.

absentadjectiveUS /ˈæbsənt/

not being in a specified place

From this reading “Where will God be absent?

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “Where will God be absent?

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

betteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

DEARadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

FacenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

foolishadjectiveUS /ˈfuːlɪʃ/

devoid of good sense or judgment

From this reading I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading “Where will God be absent?

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

healingnounUS /ˈhiːlɪŋ/

the natural process by which the body repairs itself

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

holdverbUS /hoʊld/

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

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

Hurstly

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

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

Isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

JacknounUS /dʒæk/

a small worthless amount

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

MURIEL

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

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

ShadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

StilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

suitedadjectiveUS /ˈsuːtɪd/

meant or adapted for an occasion or use

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading Still you were never really suited to each other, and it is better to give a thing up than to hold on to it too long.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading In His Face Is light, but in His Shadow healing too.”

troublenounUS /ˈtrʌbəl/

a source of difficulty

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading I thought that you were very foolish to give him up.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading “Where will God be absent?

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “Where will God be absent?

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

Chapter 18 of Life, the Interpreter by Phyllis Bottome holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

What does chapter 18 of Life, the Interpreter contain?

Chapter 18 holds 92 sentences of Life, the Interpreter, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of Life, the Interpreter by Phyllis Bottome exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

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Work through the 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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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.

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Chapter XVIII

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