Chapter 18 of Looking Forward is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Looking Forward is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Electrical Navigation. Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999. Hydrophobia banished from the earth. The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved. Electrical ocean, river and lake navigation.
Chapter 18 of Looking Forward is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
past form of “banish” — expel from a community or group
From this reading “Hydrophobia banished from the earth.”
a person to whom money is owed by a debtor; someone to whom an obligation exists
From this reading “The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.”
a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt
From this reading “The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.”
relating to or concerned with electricity
From this reading “Electrical Navigation.”
a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons
From this reading “Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.”
made more desirable or valuable or profitable; especially made ready for use or marketing
From this reading “The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.”
the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place
From this reading “Electrical Navigation.”
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading “Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.”
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 relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.”
In this reading “Hydrophobia banished from the earth.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
past form of “banish” — expel from a community or group
From this reading Hydrophobia banished from the earth.
a person to whom money is owed by a debtor; someone to whom an obligation exists
From this reading The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.
a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt
From this reading The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Hydrophobia banished from the earth.
relating to or concerned with electricity
From this reading Electrical Navigation.
a physical phenomenon associated with stationary or moving electrons and protons
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Hydrophobia banished from the earth.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.
a symptom of rabies in humans consisting of an aversion to swallowing liquids
From this reading Hydrophobia banished from the earth.
made more desirable or valuable or profitable; especially made ready for use or marketing
From this reading The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading Electrical ocean, river and lake navigation.
the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place
From this reading Electrical Navigation.
an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading Electrical ocean, river and lake navigation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.
mutual dealings or connections or communications among persons or groups
From this reading The relations of Creditor and Debtor greatly improved.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Electrical ocean, river and lake navigation.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hydrophobia banished from the earth.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Strange and novel uses to which electricity was applied in 1999.
Chapter 18 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 147 sentences of Looking Forward, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Looking Forward by Arthur Bird exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Looking Forward by Arthur Bird on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2288 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 190 minutes of reading across 458 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Looking Forward section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Looking Forward 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 Looking Forward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
