Chapter 18 of The Extra Day is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Extra Day is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
--AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious. They have been long preparing. They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!" But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden. It all has happened already long ago--happened before.
Chapter 18 of The Extra Day is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “--AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.”
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading “--AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.”
put quickly or forcibly
From this reading “They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"”
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “They have been long preparing.”
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading “But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden.”
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading “--AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.”
a state lacking normal awareness of the self or environment
From this reading “--AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.”
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 They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
in the past
From this reading It all has happened already long ago--happened before.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It all has happened already long ago--happened before.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading It all has happened already long ago--happened before.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They have been long preparing.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
put quickly or forcibly
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
intentionally conceived
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
the act of discovering something
From this reading But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden.
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading It all has happened already long ago--happened before.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It all has happened already long ago--happened before.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They have been long preparing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading They have been long preparing.
and nothing more
From this reading But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading They have been long preparing.
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But it is only the discovery and recognition that are sudden.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
a state lacking normal awareness of the self or environment
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading --AS USUAL Consciousness was first--unconsciousness; the biggest changes are unconscious before they are conscious.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They fall with a clap; and people call them sudden and exclaim, "How strange!"
Chapter 18 of The Extra Day by Algernon Blackwood holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 231 sentences of The Extra Day, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Extra Day by Algernon Blackwood exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Extra Day by Algernon Blackwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6792 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5894 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5894, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 566 minutes of reading across 1359 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Extra Day section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Extra Day 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 Extra Day, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
