Chapter 18 of Light is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Light is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward. It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind. Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling. We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same. Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
Chapter 18 of Light is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
without aim; in an aimless manner
From this reading “GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.”
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading “We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same.”
of or characteristic of or occurring in autumn
From this reading “It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.”
not still wet
From this reading “Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.”
plural of “ghost” — a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.”
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading “It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.”
rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard
From this reading “Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.”
the act of rotating in a circle or spiral
From this reading “Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.”
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.
without aim; in an aimless manner
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same.
of or characteristic of or occurring in autumn
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
not still wet
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
plural of “ghost” — a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
destroyed or killed
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
the force of workers available
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
Identical; not different.
From this reading We are in August, but it is an autumn day all the same.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
successive (without a break)
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
rigidly accurate; allowing no deviation from a standard
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Days do not allow themselves to be set in strict order, like men.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading GHOSTS We have gone out together and aimlessly; we walk straight forward.
the act of rotating in a circle or spiral
From this reading Some dried leaves lie on the ground and others go whirling.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading It is an autumnal day--gray lace of clouds and wind.
Chapter 18 of Light by Henri Barbusse holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 162 sentences of Light, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Light by Henri Barbusse exactly as it stands in the 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.
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.
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 Light by Henri Barbusse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5323 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12904 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12904, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 443 minutes of reading across 1065 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Light section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Light 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 Light, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
