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The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2
The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edward Parrott • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2
Context Illustration Reading 1/17 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"THOSE TERRIBLE GREY HORSES."
Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.
"That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.
We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.
We lost it through our own faults of command.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"THOSE TERRIBLE GREY HORSES."
/ðoʊz ˈterəbəl ɡreɪ ˈhɔːrsəz/
Line 2
Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.
Line 3
"That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.
/ðæt hiː sed ɪz kwaɪt rɔːŋ ˈaʊər ˈɑːrmi wɑːz ˈnuːmərəs/
Line 4
We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.
Line 5
We lost it through our own faults of command.
/wiː lɔːst ɪt θruː ˈaʊər oʊn fɔːlts ʌv kəˈmænd/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Belgium noun US /ˈbeldʒəm/

a monarchy in northwestern Europe; headquarters for the European Union and for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

From this reading “Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crushed adjective US /krʌʃt/

treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance

From this reading “Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eleven adjective US /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading “We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
faults noun US /fɔːlts/

plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading “We lost it through our own faults of command.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
interviewer noun US /ˈɪntərvjuːər/

a person who conducts an interview

From this reading “Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
numbers noun US /ˈnʌmbərz/

the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt

From this reading “Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
numerous adjective US /ˈnuːmərəs/

amounting to a large indefinite number

From this reading “"That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
overwhelming adjective US /ˌoʊvərˈwelmɪŋ/

so strong as to be irresistible

From this reading “Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

overwhelming numbers adjective + noun

In this reading “Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.”

291 times in 225,867 chapters
ten times noun + noun

In this reading “We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.”

6,527 times in 225,867 chapters
own faults verb + noun counted as “own fault”

In this reading “We lost it through our own faults of command.”

3,938 times in 225,867 chapters
GREY HORSES adjective + noun counted as “grey horse”

In this reading “"THOSE TERRIBLE GREY HORSES."”

485 times in 225,867 chapters
quite wrong adverb + adjective

In this reading “"That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.”

815 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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.

1915

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

Pending verification
75

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

Pending verification
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
armynounUS /ˈɑːrmi/

a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BattlenounUS /ˈbætəl/

a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BelgiumnounUS /ˈbeldʒəm/

a monarchy in northwestern Europe; headquarters for the European Union and for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Charleroinoun

city in southwestern Belgium; center of an industrial region

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
commandnounUS /kəˈmænd/

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

From this reading We lost it through our own faults of command.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
crushedadjectiveUS /krʌʃt/

treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
elevenadjectiveUS /ɪˈlevən/

being one more than ten

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
faultsnounUS /fɔːlts/

plural of “fault” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention

From this reading We lost it through our own faults of command.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GeneraladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
GREYadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading "THOSE TERRIBLE GREY HORSES."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HORSESnounUS /ˈhɔːrsəz/

plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading "THOSE TERRIBLE GREY HORSES."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
interviewernounUS /ˈɪntərvjuːər/

a person who conducts an interview

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Joffrenoun

French field marshal who commanded the Allied armies in France during World War II (1852-1931)

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading We lost it through our own faults of command.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MarchverbUS /mɑːrtʃ/

march in a procession

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
numbersnounUS /ˈnʌmbərz/

the fourth book of the Old Testament; contains a record of the number of Israelites who followed Moses out of Egypt

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
numerousadjectiveUS /ˈnuːmərəs/

amounting to a large indefinite number

From this reading "That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading "That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
overwhelmingadjectiveUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmɪŋ/

so strong as to be irresistible

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading We lost it through our own faults of command.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading "That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TERRIBLEadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading "THOSE TERRIBLE GREY HORSES."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THOSEdeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading "THOSE TERRIBLE GREY HORSES."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading We lost it through our own faults of command.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Late in March 1915 General Joffre told an interviewer that his army was not crushed in Belgium by overwhelming numbers.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wonnounUS /wʌn/

the basic unit of money in South Korea

From this reading We ought to have won the Battle of Charleroi.[75] We ought to have won it ten times out of eleven.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wrongadjectiveUS /rɔːŋ/

not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth

From this reading "That," he said, "is quite wrong; our army was numerous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 18 of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 by Edward Parrott holds 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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.

What does chapter 18 of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 contain?

Chapter 18 holds 89 sentences of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 by Edward Parrott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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.

How do I study chapter 18 of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2?

Work through the 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 18 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.

Can chapter 18 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2

Common questions about reading The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 by Edward Parrott on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2?

Yes. All 4421 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35314 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #35314, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 take to read?

About 368 minutes of reading across 885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 section by section

How to work through The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 36 chapters of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Edward
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Parrott
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Britain
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Childrens' Story of the War — Volume 2; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.