Chapter 18 of The Secret City is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Secret City is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly. "Yes you are--you know that you are. I'm not angry--not yet. But it's unwise of you--unwise...." "Unwise--how?"
Chapter 18 of The Secret City is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading “I'm not angry--not yet.”
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “"I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “"I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.”
a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)
From this reading “"I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.”
with low volume
From this reading “"I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.”
arousing affect
From this reading “"I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.”
showing or resulting from lack of judgment or wisdom
From this reading “But it's unwise of you--unwise...."”
an affirmative
From this reading “"Yes you are--you know that you are.”
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.
feeling or showing anger
From this reading I'm not angry--not yet.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Yes you are--you know that you are.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it's unwise of you--unwise...."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Unwise--how?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it's unwise of you--unwise...."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Yes you are--you know that you are.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But it's unwise of you--unwise...."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
with low volume
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Yes you are--you know that you are.
arousing affect
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
showing or resulting from lack of judgment or wisdom
From this reading But it's unwise of you--unwise...."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes you are--you know that you are.
but in spite of that
From this reading I'm not angry--not yet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'm not touching you, Nicholas," Semyonov answered, laughing softly.
Chapter 18 of The Secret City by Hugh Walpole holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of The Secret City, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Secret City by Hugh Walpole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Secret City by Hugh Walpole on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8967 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12349 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12349, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret City section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Secret City 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 Secret City, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
