Chapter 18 of The Prodigal Pro Tem is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Prodigal Pro Tem is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle. “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.” “A miracle?” questioned Barnes. “What about Carl’s part in it?” The doctor paused a moment.
Chapter 18 of The Prodigal Pro Tem is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading “WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.”
plural of “bruise” — an injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration
From this reading “WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.”
showing the parts of something separated but in positions that show their correct relation to one another
From this reading ““But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.””
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading ““But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.””
footwear usually with wooden soles
From this reading “WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.”
a recklessly extravagant consumer
From this reading “WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.”
made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account
From this reading “WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.”
past form of “wrench” — twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates
From this reading “WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “What about Carl’s part in it?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A miracle?” questioned Barnes.
plural of “bruise” — an injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What about Carl’s part in it?”
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The doctor paused a moment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
showing the parts of something separated but in positions that show their correct relation to one another
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “What about Carl’s part in it?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
a particular point in time
From this reading The doctor paused a moment.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading “What about Carl’s part in it?”
footwear usually with wooden soles
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading The doctor paused a moment.
a recklessly extravagant consumer
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading “A miracle?” questioned Barnes.
made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
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 WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But by the Lord, Harry!” he exploded, “it was nothing short of a miracle.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
in the company of; together with
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
past form of “wrench” — twist or pull violently or suddenly, especially so as to remove (something) from that to which it is attached or from where it originates
From this reading WHAT MAKES A PRODIGAL Dr. Merriweather reported that Miss Van Patten had escaped with nothing worse than bruises and a wrenched ankle.
Chapter 18 of The Prodigal Pro Tem by Frederick Orin Bartlett holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 186 sentences of The Prodigal Pro Tem, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Prodigal Pro Tem by Frederick Orin Bartlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prodigal Pro Tem section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Prodigal Pro Tem, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
