Chapter 18 of The Gadfly is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Gadfly is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills? Brisighella is a risky place for me.” “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.” “Why?” “I'll tell you in a minute.
Chapter 18 of The Gadfly is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading ““Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.””
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading ““BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?”
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading ““Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.””
come together
From this reading ““BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading ““I'll tell you in a minute.”
involving risk or danger
From this reading “Brisighella is a risky place for me.””
comparative of “safe” — free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading ““Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.””
in or at or to some place
From this reading ““BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?”
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 Brisighella is a risky place for me.”
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Brisighella is a risky place for me.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Brisighella is a risky place for me.”
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'll tell you in a minute.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Brisighella is a risky place for me.”
and nothing more
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Brisighella is a risky place for me.”
come together
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “I'll tell you in a minute.
a particular point in time
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Brisighella is a risky place for me.”
involving risk or danger
From this reading Brisighella is a risky place for me.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
comparative of “safe” — free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
in or at or to some place
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
express in words
From this reading “I'll tell you in a minute.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “BUT c-c-can't I meet him somewhere in the hills?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Every inch of ground in the Romagna is risky for you; but just at this moment Brisighella is safer for you than any other place.”
Chapter 18 of The Gadfly by E. L. (Ethel Lillian) Voynich holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The Gadfly, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Gadfly by E. L. (Ethel Lillian) Voynich exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Gadfly by E. L. (Ethel Lillian) Voynich on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6695 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3431 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3431, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 557 minutes of reading across 1339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gadfly section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Gadfly 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 Gadfly, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
