Chapter 18 of The Real Thing and Other Tales is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Real Thing and Other Tales is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“So I did, but you know my reason.” “Because I protested against the course you were taking? I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that. His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?” “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
Chapter 18 of The Real Thing and Other Tales is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading ““I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.”
standing above others in quality or position
From this reading ““I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.”
in a gay manner
From this reading “His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?””
the quality of being honest
From this reading ““I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading ““Because I protested against the course you were taking?”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.”
caught or fixed
From this reading “I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?””
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 I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading “Because I protested against the course you were taking?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
for the reason that
From this reading “Because I protested against the course you were taking?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “So I did, but you know my reason.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Because I protested against the course you were taking?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “So I did, but you know my reason.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
standing above others in quality or position
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
in a gay manner
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
the quality of being honest
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “So I did, but you know my reason.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “So I did, but you know my reason.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “So I did, but you know my reason.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
by chance
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “Because I protested against the course you were taking?
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading “So I did, but you know my reason.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
express in words
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So I did, but you know my reason.”
not in physical motion
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
caught or fixed
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “Because I protested against the course you were taking?
express in words
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Because I protested against the course you were taking?
up to a particular time
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Because I protested against the course you were taking?
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
but in spite of that
From this reading His tone made Rose say gaily: “Perhaps you do so yet?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “So I did, but you know my reason.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading I did, I did!” the young man rang out, as if he still, a little, stuck to that.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I can’t tell till I’ve seen more of your circumstances,” he replied with eminent honesty.
Chapter 18 of The Real Thing and Other Tales by Henry James holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 160 sentences of The Real Thing and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Real Thing and Other Tales by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Real Thing and Other Tales by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3216 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2715 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2715, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 268 minutes of reading across 644 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Real Thing and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Real Thing and Other Tales 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 Real Thing and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
