Chapter 18 of The Law Inevitable is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Law Inevitable is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Duco was silent and nervous at table. He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled. She felt that he had something on his mind: "What is it?" she asked, kindly. "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
Chapter 18 of The Law Inevitable is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading “He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.”
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading “"Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."”
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading “He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.”
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading “"What is it?" she asked, kindly.”
easily agitated
From this reading “Duco was silent and nervous at table.”
(of games) engaged in
From this reading “He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “Duco was silent and nervous at table.”
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading “He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Duco was silent and nervous at table.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What is it?" she asked, kindly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Duco was silent and nervous at table.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Duco was silent and nervous at table.
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading She felt that he had something on his mind:
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She felt that he had something on his mind:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?" she asked, kindly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?" she asked, kindly.
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading "What is it?" she asked, kindly.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading She felt that he had something on his mind:
easily agitated
From this reading Duco was silent and nervous at table.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She felt that he had something on his mind:
(of games) engaged in
From this reading He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She felt that he had something on his mind:
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Duco was silent and nervous at table.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading She felt that he had something on his mind:
express in speech
From this reading "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Duco was silent and nervous at table.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She felt that he had something on his mind:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Duco was silent and nervous at table.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?" she asked, kindly.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He played with his bread; and his fingers trembled.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Cornélie," he said, excitedly, "I want to speak to you."
Chapter 18 of The Law Inevitable by Louis Couperus holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 150 sentences of The Law Inevitable, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Law Inevitable by Louis Couperus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Law Inevitable by Louis Couperus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5775 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43827 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43827, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 481 minutes of reading across 1155 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Law Inevitable section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Law Inevitable 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 Law Inevitable, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
