Chapter 18 of The Secret Play is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 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 Play is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation. Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door. Louise Brent met him on the way out. “It was splendid!” she declared warmly.
Chapter 18 of The Secret Play is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward
From this reading “Louise Brent met him on the way out.”
possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective
someone who escorts and protects a prominent person
From this reading “Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.”
enthusiastic recognition (especially one accompanied by loud applause)
From this reading “GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.”
the state of being retired from one's business or occupation
From this reading “GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.”
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading “Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.”
in a hearty manner
From this reading ““It was splendid!” she declared warmly.”
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.
take someone's hands and shake them as a gesture of greeting or congratulation
In this reading “Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.”
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 Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward
From this reading Louise Brent met him on the way out.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “It was splendid!” she declared warmly.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
possessive form of “dick” — someone who is a detective
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
someone who escorts and protects a prominent person
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Louise Brent met him on the way out.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Louise Brent met him on the way out.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Louise Brent met him on the way out.
enthusiastic recognition (especially one accompanied by loud applause)
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
the state of being retired from one's business or occupation
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “It was splendid!” she declared warmly.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading “It was splendid!” she declared warmly.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
express in words
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading GRAYSON IS SURPRISED Dick’s retirement from the hall took on the nature of an ovation.
in a hearty manner
From this reading “It was splendid!” she declared warmly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Many of the fellows pushed their way across to shake hands with him, to tell him “It was hot stuff, Dick!” to form a laughing, excited escort for him to the door.
Chapter 18 of The Secret Play by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 225 sentences of The Secret Play, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Secret Play by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 225 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 Play by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65237 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65237, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 379 minutes of reading across 910 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Play section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Secret Play 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 Play, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
