Chapter 18 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion. "I've never hung round him. He knows I haven't. Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day. Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
Chapter 18 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading “Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.”
used as expletives
From this reading “Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.”
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.”
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.”
most important element
From this reading “Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.”
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading “Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.”
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading “Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.”
two times
From this reading “Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.”
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 “Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.”
by a factor of three
In this reading “Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.”
In this reading “Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.”
In this reading “"I've never hung round him.”
be beset by
In this reading “Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.”
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 Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
-ing form of “address” — speak to
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
used as expletives
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He knows I haven't.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knows I haven't.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I've never hung round him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading "I've never hung round him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He knows I haven't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've never hung round him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading He knows I haven't.
most important element
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I've never hung round him.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading "I've never hung round him.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
not in physical motion
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
male cat
From this reading Tom kept his temper by main force, addressing himself still to the companion.
two times
From this reading Twice I've stepped in, to keep him from getting the gate, this time as a drunk, the other time as a damn fool.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two or three times I've run into him, as I've done to-day.
Chapter 18 of The Happy Isles by Basil King holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 407 sentences of The Happy Isles, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Happy Isles by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Happy Isles by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9301 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61344 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61344, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1861 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Happy Isles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Happy Isles 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 Happy Isles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
