Chapter 18 of Options is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Options is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin. The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will! I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone. You are so importunate. But please come up to the house, won't you?"
Chapter 18 of Options is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!”
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading “That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.”
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading “That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!”
dearly loved
From this reading “The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.”
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.
react verbally
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are so importunate.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But please come up to the house, won't you?"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
dearly loved
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
expressing persistant and earnest entreaty
From this reading You are so importunate.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
and nothing more
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
above and across; more than
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
express in words
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading You are so importunate.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
a swinging blow directed upward (especially at an opponent's chin)
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was just the uppercut for Reddy Burns' chin.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The answer came back: "Why, Phil, dear, of course I will!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But please come up to the house, won't you?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I didn't know that you--that is, you never said--oh, come up to the house, please--I can't say what I want to over the 'phone.
Chapter 18 of Options by O. Henry holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 186 sentences of Options, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Options by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Options by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1583 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1583, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 350 minutes of reading across 841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Options section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Options 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 Options, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
