Chapter 18 of The Killer is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Killer is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried. He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe. "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice. I took the advice. Wasn't nothin' else to do.
Chapter 18 of The Killer is here in full — 92 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading “California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.”
proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition
From this reading “California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.”
unwilling because of mild dislike or disapproval
From this reading “California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.”
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading “He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.”
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading “He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “"I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “"I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.”
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.
a proposal for an appropriate course of action
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
(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 "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
placed crosswise
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
unwilling because of mild dislike or disapproval
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Wasn't nothin' else to do.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wasn't nothin' else to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
having or showing interest; especially curiosity or fascination or concern
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
provided with artificial light
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wasn't nothin' else to do.
on one occasion
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
above and across; more than
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
a person, without saying who
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He crossed one leg over the other and lit his pipe.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I took the advice.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading California John was discursive and interested and disinclined to be hurried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wasn't nothin' else to do.
at the time that
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading "I was driftin' down the road busy with my own idees--which ain't many," he began, "when I was woke up all to once by someone givin' me advice.
Chapter 18 of The Killer by Stewart Edward White holds 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 92 sentences of The Killer, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Killer by Stewart Edward White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 92 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Killer by Stewart Edward White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6026 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16589 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16589, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 502 minutes of reading across 1206 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Killer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Killer 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 Killer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
