Chapter 18 of The Brightener is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Brightener is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap? Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats? This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann. But let me begin with what happened first. Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
Chapter 18 of The Brightener is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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 church associated with a monastery or convent
From this reading “This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.”
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading “THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?”
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?”
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading “Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?”
causing a surge of emotion or excitement
From this reading “Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?”
marked by skill in deception
From this reading “THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?”
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 “This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.”
if there happens to be need
In this reading “Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.”
In this reading “THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?”
In this reading “But let me begin with what happened first.”
be present or associated with an event or entity
In this reading “Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.”
In this reading “THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?”
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 THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
a church associated with a monastery or convent
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading But let me begin with what happened first.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But let me begin with what happened first.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
at any time
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading But let me begin with what happened first.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading But let me begin with what happened first.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading But let me begin with what happened first.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But let me begin with what happened first.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?
equipped with a motor or motors
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?
Identical; not different.
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
cut with a saw
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
not in physical motion
From this reading Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
causing a surge of emotion or excitement
From this reading Or, still more thrilling, a _pair_ of wily gray rats?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
a source of difficulty
From this reading Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
at the time that
From this reading This is what I saw that same night when I'd motored back from Courtenaye Abbey to Dawley St. Ann.
marked by skill in deception
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading Jim wished to go with me, to be on hand in case of trouble.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But let me begin with what happened first.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE RAT TRAP Did you ever see a wily gray rat caught in a trap?
Chapter 18 of The Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson holds 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 214 sentences of The Brightener, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 The Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6165 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32428 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32428, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 513 minutes of reading across 1233 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Brightener section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Brightener 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 The Brightener, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
