Chapter 18 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat. "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon. It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me. Christ is very pitiful. They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
Chapter 18 of My Friend Smith is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 “convict” — find or declare guilty
From this reading “"I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.”
time without end
From this reading “It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.”
someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading “"I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.”
plural of “lesson” — a unit of instruction
From this reading “It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.”
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading “They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.”
inspiring mixed contempt and pity
From this reading “Christ is very pitiful.”
cool and formal in manner
From this reading “I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.”
past form of “transport” — move something or somebody around; usually over long distances
From this reading “"I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.”
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 I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
a youthful male person
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
make calm or still
From this reading They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC - AD 29)
From this reading Christ is very pitiful.
past form of “convict” — find or declare guilty
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
time without end
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Christ is very pitiful.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
plural of “lesson” — a unit of instruction
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
inspiring mixed contempt and pity
From this reading Christ is very pitiful.
cool and formal in manner
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
an educational institution
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading It was a rough school, my boy, but in it I learned lessons an eternity of happiness might never have taught me.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They brought me out of madness into sense, and out of storm into calm.
past form of “transport” — move something or somebody around; usually over long distances
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
precisely as stated
From this reading Christ is very pitiful.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I restrained myself with a mighty effort and resumed my seat.
a late time of life
From this reading "I was transported, and for ten years lived the life of a convicted felon.
Chapter 18 of My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 414 sentences of My Friend Smith, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 My Friend Smith by Talbot Baines Reed on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8701 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21036 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21036, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1741 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Friend Smith section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of My Friend Smith 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 My Friend Smith, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
