Chapter 18 of The Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SUCCESS AFTER SUCCESS. Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind. He fought bravely. It was not his first fight. He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
Chapter 18 of The Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
acquired as your own by free choice
From this reading “Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.”
in a courageous manner
From this reading “He fought bravely.”
plural of “defect” — an imperfection in a bodily system
From this reading “He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.”
causing dejection
From this reading “Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.”
kill in large numbers
From this reading “Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.”
expecting the best in this best of all possible worlds
From this reading “Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.”
with success; in a successful manner
From this reading “He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.”
the time of life between the ages of 12 and 20
From this reading “He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.”
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 He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
acquired as your own by free choice
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
later than; following
From this reading SUCCESS AFTER SUCCESS.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
in a courageous manner
From this reading He fought bravely.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
plural of “defect” — an imperfection in a bodily system
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
causing dejection
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
kill in large numbers
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading It was not his first fight.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was not his first fight.
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading He fought bravely.
set up or found
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He fought bravely.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
annoyed and irritable
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
expecting the best in this best of all possible worlds
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
win a victory over
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
having or expressing strong emotions
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
not in physical motion
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading SUCCESS AFTER SUCCESS.
with success; in a successful manner
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
the time of life between the ages of 12 and 20
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Having adopted the optimistic view of life, Frank found that it was not easy to eradicate his dismal turn of mind.
at the time that
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
during the time that
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading He had been, when younger, passionate and a trifle ill-tempered, but he had, while still in his teens, successfully overcome these defects.
Chapter 18 of The Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story by John Roussel holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 166 sentences of The Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story by John Roussel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story by John Roussel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3630 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27798 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27798, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 302 minutes of reading across 726 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story 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 Silver Lining: A Guernsey Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
