Chapter 18 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"This is a terrible thing," he said. "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge." "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident? I mean did you see the statue fall?" "No," said Archer, "I mean I saw the statue fallen."
Chapter 18 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading “"Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?”
a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading “"No," said Archer, "I mean I saw the statue fallen."”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?”
march in a procession
From this reading “"Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?”
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “"Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?”
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading “"I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."”
a sculpture representing a human or animal
From this reading “I mean did you see the statue fall?"”
a leisurely walk (usually in some public place)
From this reading “"I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."”
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 "This is a terrible thing," he said.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading "No," said Archer, "I mean I saw the statue fallen."
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I mean did you see the statue fall?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading I mean did you see the statue fall?"
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading "No," said Archer, "I mean I saw the statue fallen."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "This is a terrible thing," he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is a terrible thing," he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
march in a procession
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
not any; not one
From this reading "No," said Archer, "I mean I saw the statue fallen."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "This is a terrible thing," he said.
cut with a saw
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I mean did you see the statue fall?"
a sculpture representing a human or animal
From this reading I mean did you see the statue fall?"
a leisurely walk (usually in some public place)
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading "This is a terrible thing," he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
a special situation
From this reading "This is a terrible thing," he said.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is a terrible thing," he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I saw it from above; I was taking a stroll along the ridge."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Do you mean that you saw the murder?" demanded March, "or the accident?
Chapter 18 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 170 sentences of The Man Who Knew Too Much, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1720 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1720, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Knew Too Much section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Man Who Knew Too Much 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 Man Who Knew Too Much, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
