Chapter 18 of The Missing Link is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Missing Link is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ADVENTURE AT 'TWEEN BRIDGES. "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link. The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned. "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?" "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
Chapter 18 of The Missing Link is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
being very thin
From this reading “"BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.”
United States labor leader who organized the longshoremen (1901-1990)
From this reading “AN ADVENTURE AT 'TWEEN BRIDGES.”
a small inlet
From this reading “"So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.”
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading “"BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.”
possessive form of “professor” — someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “"Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."”
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading “The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.”
to go stealthily or furtively
From this reading “"Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."”
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 "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading AN ADVENTURE AT 'TWEEN BRIDGES.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ADVENTURE AT 'TWEEN BRIDGES.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AN ADVENTURE AT 'TWEEN BRIDGES.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
being very thin
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
United States labor leader who organized the longshoremen (1901-1990)
From this reading AN ADVENTURE AT 'TWEEN BRIDGES.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
a small inlet
From this reading "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
let fall to the ground
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
half asleep
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
not able to be found
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
possessive form of “professor” — someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
to go stealthily or furtively
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading "Sneak my key out of the Professor's tent, and let's go and have a drop of something."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN ADVENTURE AT 'TWEEN BRIDGES.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading "BONY, my friend, I am weary of this," said the Missing Link.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "So'm I." he replied, "but what's a cove t' do?"
which person or people
From this reading The Living Skeleton, who had been drowsing on his chair, beat the flies off and groaned.
Chapter 18 of The Missing Link by Edward Dyson holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 119 sentences of The Missing Link, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Missing Link by Edward Dyson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Missing Link by Edward Dyson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17129 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17129, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 206 minutes of reading across 497 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Missing Link section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Missing Link 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 Missing Link, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
