Chapter 18 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing. It must be night!" They knew now what to do. The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by! The hole would be big enough to let them out!
Chapter 18 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading “"I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.”
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “The hole would be big enough to let them out!”
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “The hole would be big enough to let them out!”
flagstones collectively
From this reading “The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!”
an opening into or through something
From this reading “The hole would be big enough to let them out!”
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading “The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!”
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading “"I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “"I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.”
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 smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It must be night!"
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The hole would be big enough to let them out!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading They knew now what to do.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading The hole would be big enough to let them out!
flagstones collectively
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
an opening into or through something
From this reading The hole would be big enough to let them out!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It must be night!"
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They knew now what to do.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading The hole would be big enough to let them out!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must be night!"
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It must be night!"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They knew now what to do.
on one occasion
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The hole would be big enough to let them out!
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The flagging must be removed at once, before any one should go by!
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The hole would be big enough to let them out!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They knew now what to do.
a special situation
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They knew now what to do.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading They knew now what to do.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "I smell good air," he whispered, "but I can't see a thing.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The hole would be big enough to let them out!
Chapter 18 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 by Society of Arts and Sciences (U.S.) [Editor] on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8977 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11512 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11512, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1796 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 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 O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
