The King of Gee-Whiz

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The King of Gee-Whiz is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Emerson Hough • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The King of Gee-Whiz

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE KING LOSES HIS SHADOW The King of Gee-Whiz stepped out into an open space in the forest, and, to his very great surprise, observed that he could not feel his feet touch the ground.

This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.

There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVIII Reading 1/12

The King of Gee-Whiz Emerson Hough

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The King of Gee-Whiz is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE KING LOSES HIS SHADOW The King of Gee-Whiz stepped out into an open space in the forest, and, to his very great surprise, observed that he could not feel his feet touch the ground. This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all. He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being. So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance. There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

The King of Gee-Whiz

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The King of Gee-Whiz is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE KING LOSES HIS SHADOW The King of Gee-Whiz stepped out into an open space in the forest, and, to his very great surprise, observed that he could not feel his feet touch the ground.

Line 2

This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

/ðɪs wɑːz ˈrɪli bɪˈkɔːz hiː wɑːz soʊ fʊl ʌv ˈrʌbər ˌɔːlˈðoʊ hiː hɪmˈself hæd noʊ aɪˈdiːə ʌv ˈeni sʌtʃ θɪŋ æt ɔːl/

Line 3

He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

/hiː wɑːz ˈkɑːnʃəs ˈoʊnli ʌv ˈfiːlɪŋ ðæt hiː hæd ɔːl əˈlɔːŋ bɪn ə ˈɡreɪtər kɪŋ ðæn hiː hæd hæd ˈkredət fɔːr ˈbiːɪŋ/

Line 4

So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.

Line 5

There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

Learner Dictionary

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.

conscious adjective US /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading “He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.”

credit noun US /ˈkredət/

approval

From this reading “He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.”

dance noun US /dæns/

an artistic form of nonverbal communication

From this reading “So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.”

loses verb US /ˈluːzəz/

third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

From this reading “THE KING LOSES HIS SHADOW The King of Gee-Whiz stepped out into an open space in the forest, and, to his very great surprise, observed that he could not feel his feet touch the ground.”

rubber noun US /ˈrʌbər/

an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products

From this reading “This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.”

shadow noun US /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

stepped verb US /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

tune noun US /tuːn/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading “So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

open space verb + noun

In this reading “THE KING LOSES HIS SHADOW The King of Gee-Whiz stepped out into an open space in the forest, and, to his very great surprise, observed that he could not feel his feet touch the ground.”

great surprise adjective + noun

touch the ground verb + article + noun counted as “touch … ground”

in the forest preposition + article + noun counted as “in … forest”

All words in this reading · 68

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

althoughconjunctionUS /ˌɔːlˈðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading THE KING LOSES HIS SHADOW The King of Gee-Whiz stepped out into an open space in the forest, and, to his very great surprise, observed that he could not feel his feet touch the ground.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

consciousadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

creditnounUS /ˈkredət/

approval

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

dancenounUS /dæns/

an artistic form of nonverbal communication

From this reading So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.

feelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

forestnounUS /ˈfɔːrəst/

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

Gee-Whiz

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

greateradjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtər/

greater in size or importance or degree

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

groundnounUS /ɡraʊnd/

the solid part of the earth's surface

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

hummed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.

ideanounUS /aɪˈdiːə/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

KINGnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

LOSESverbUS /ˈluːzəz/

third-person singular of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

observedadjectiveUS /əbˈzɜːrvd/

discovered or determined by scientific observation

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/

with considerable certainty; without much doubt

From this reading There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

rubbernounUS /ˈrʌbər/

an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

SHADOWnounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

spacenounUS /speɪs/

the unlimited expanse in which everything is located

steppedverbUS /stept/

inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading He was conscious only of feeling that he had all along been a greater King than he had had credit for being.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

touchverbUS /tʌtʃ/

make physical contact with, come in contact with

tunenounUS /tuːn/

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading So he hummed a tune to himself as he began to dance.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading This was really because he was so full of rubber, although he himself had no idea of any such thing at all.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading There was probably never a dance just such as this which the King of Gee-Whiz now began.

Chapter 18 of The King of Gee-Whiz by Emerson Hough holds 61 sentences, grouped into 13 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.

What does chapter 18 of The King of Gee-Whiz contain?

Chapter 18 holds 61 sentences of The King of Gee-Whiz, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The King of Gee-Whiz by Emerson Hough exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 61 sentences, grouped into 13 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.

How do I study chapter 18 of The King of Gee-Whiz?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 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.

Can chapter 18 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Yes. All 1991 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41361 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #41361, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 165 minutes of reading across 399 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XVIII

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