Chapter 18 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 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 Laughs is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE COLOSSAL SAVAGE, THE STORM. In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet. “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails. Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there. We’ve yet a chance.”
Chapter 18 of The Man Who Laughs is here in full — 102 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
float on the surface of water
From this reading “Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.”
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
From this reading “THE COLOSSAL SAVAGE, THE STORM.”
the near or foreseeable future
From this reading “Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.”
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading “Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.”
plural of “sheet” — any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading ““Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.”
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.”
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading “Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.”
plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading ““Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.”
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 We’ve yet a chance.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
float on the surface of water
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading We’ve yet a chance.”
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
From this reading THE COLOSSAL SAVAGE, THE STORM.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
the time between one event, process, or period and another
From this reading In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
the near or foreseeable future
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading THE COLOSSAL SAVAGE, THE STORM.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
plural of “sheet” — any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading THE COLOSSAL SAVAGE, THE STORM.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE COLOSSAL SAVAGE, THE STORM.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading “Strike every sail, my lads; let go the sheets, man the down-hauls, lower ties and brails.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In the meantime the skipper had caught up his speaking-trumpet.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’ve yet a chance.”
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Let us steer to the west, let us regain the high sea; head for the buoy, steer for the bell--there’s an offing down there.
but in spite of that
From this reading We’ve yet a chance.”
Chapter 18 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo holds 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 102 sentences of The Man Who Laughs, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 102 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Man Who Laughs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
