Chapter 18 of The Later Life is here in full — 666 sentences across 134 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Later Life is here in full — 666 sentences across 134 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour. "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?" "There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up. "What sort of people, Mamma?" "Oh, there's a dinner-party, dear!" said Frances, irritably.
Chapter 18 of The Later Life is here in full — 666 sentences across 134 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/133 · 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.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading “"Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"”
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “"Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"”
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.”
an event that happens
From this reading “"Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “"Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"”
having official authority or sanction
From this reading “There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.”
three of four equal parts
From this reading “There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.”
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading “There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.”
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 “"There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up.”
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 There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up.
dearly loved
From this reading "Oh, there's a dinner-party, dear!" said Frances, irritably.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, there's a dinner-party, dear!" said Frances, irritably.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
an event that happens
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
in a petulant manner
From this reading "Oh, there's a dinner-party, dear!" said Frances, irritably.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, there's a dinner-party, dear!" said Frances, irritably.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "What sort of people, Mamma?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, there's a dinner-party, dear!" said Frances, irritably.
three of four equal parts
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There was a big official dinner at Van Naghel's; and the guests were expected in three-quarters of an hour.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What sort of people, Mamma?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mamma," whined Huigje to Frances, as she was dressing, "what's happening?"
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "There are people coming," said Frances, without looking up.
Chapter 18 of The Later Life by Louis Couperus holds 666 sentences, grouped into 134 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 666 sentences of The Later Life, unabridged, divided into 134 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Later Life by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 666 sentences, grouped into 134 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 134 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 134 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 Later Life by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5253 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37578 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37578, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 437 minutes of reading across 1051 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Later Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Later Life 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 Later Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
