Chapter 18 of The Coward Behind the Curtain is here in full — 211 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 Coward Behind the Curtain is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year. Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens. The air was motionless, hot, oppressive. One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing. As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
Chapter 18 of The Coward Behind the Curtain is here in full — 211 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.
the production of malt beverages (as beer or ale) from malt and hops by grinding and boiling them and fermenting the result with yeast
From this reading “One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.”
comparative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading “THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.”
not in physical motion
From this reading “The air was motionless, hot, oppressive.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.”
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading “The air was motionless, hot, oppressive.”
the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept
From this reading “One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.”
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading “As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.”
an established custom
From this reading “THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.”
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 “One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.”
In this reading “As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.”
In this reading “Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.”
In this reading “As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.”
In this reading “Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.”
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 One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The air was motionless, hot, oppressive.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.
the production of malt beverages (as beer or ale) from malt and hops by grinding and boiling them and fermenting the result with yeast
From this reading One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.
comparative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
past form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading The air was motionless, hot, oppressive.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Black, heavy clouds hung low in the heavens.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
not in physical motion
From this reading The air was motionless, hot, oppressive.
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
not any; not one
From this reading One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading The air was motionless, hot, oppressive.
the representation of what is perceived; basic component in the formation of a concept
From this reading One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
express in words
From this reading One needed no keen perception to tell that a storm was brewing.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading As Dorothy gained the river bank, in the distance was the loud muttering of thunder.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
which person or people
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
an established custom
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading THE MAN WHO DID IT It was darker than it was wont to be at that season of the year.
Chapter 18 of The Coward Behind the Curtain by Richard Marsh holds 211 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 211 sentences of The Coward Behind the Curtain, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Coward Behind the Curtain by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 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 Coward Behind the Curtain by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4434 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40347 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40347, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 369 minutes of reading across 887 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Coward Behind the Curtain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Coward Behind the Curtain 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 Coward Behind the Curtain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
