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The Stolen Brain
The Stolen Brain

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Stolen Brain is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.
It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.
The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table.
Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.
It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Stolen Brain

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Stolen Brain is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.
/ə ˈtrædʒədi ʌv ðə steɪdʒ/
Line 2
It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.
Line 3
The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table.
/ðə ˈfeɪməs nuː jɔːrk dɪˈtektɪv sæt æt ðə hed ʌv ðə ˈteɪbəl/
Line 4
Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.
Line 5
It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.
/ɪt wɑːz ðə ˈlætər huː held ðə əˈtenʃən ʌv hɜːr kəmˈpænjənz æt ðæt ˈmoʊmənt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Carter's noun US /ˈkɑːrtərz/

possessive form of “carter” — Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)

Chick noun US /tʃɪk/

young bird especially of domestic fowl

From this reading “Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.”

confederates noun US /kənˈfedərəts/

plural of “confederate” — a supporter of the Confederate States of America

From this reading “It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.”

Ida noun US /ˈaɪdə/

an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank

From this reading “Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.”

latter's noun US /ˈlætərz/

possessive form of “latter” — the second of two or the second mentioned of two

Nick's noun US /nɪks/

possessive form of “nick” — an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)

Patsy noun US /ˈpætsi/

a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of

From this reading “Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.”

Ranged verb US /reɪndʒd/

past form of “range” — change or be different within limits

From this reading “Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

several months adjective + noun counted as “several month”

In this reading “It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.”

beautiful woman adjective + noun

In this reading “Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.”

rather unusual adverb + adjective

In this reading “It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.”

young wife adjective + noun

In this reading “Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

Adelina

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

assistantnounUS /əˈsɪstənt/

a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

Carter'snounUS /ˈkɑːrtərz/

possessive form of “carter” — Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

ChicknounUS /tʃɪk/

young bird especially of domestic fowl

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

circumstancenounUS /ˈsɜːrkəmstæns/

a condition that accompanies or influences some event or activity

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

companionsnounUS /kəmˈpænjənz/

plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.

confederatesnounUS /kənˈfedərəts/

plural of “confederate” — a supporter of the Confederate States of America

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

convictionnounUS /kənˈvɪkʃən/

an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

detectivenounUS /dɪˈtektɪv/

a police officer who investigates crimes

From this reading The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table.

famousadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪməs/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table.

Garvan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

Grantley

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

householdnounUS /ˈhaʊshoʊld/

a social unit living together

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

IdanounUS /ˈaɪdə/

an agency of the United Nations affiliated with the World Bank

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

JonesnounUS /dʒoʊnz/

United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.

latter'snounUS /ˈlætərz/

possessive form of “latter” — the second of two or the second mentioned of two

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

meetverbUS /miːt/

come together

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

membersnounUS /ˈmembərz/

plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

NewadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table.

NickverbUS /nɪk/

cut slightly, with a razor

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

Nick'snounUS /nɪks/

possessive form of “nick” — an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.

PatsynounUS /ˈpætsi/

a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

RangedverbUS /reɪndʒd/

past form of “range” — change or be different within limits

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table.

severaladjectiveUS /ˈsevrəl/

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

STAGEnounUS /steɪdʒ/

any distinct time period in a sequence of events

From this reading A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

TRAGEDYnounUS /ˈtrædʒədi/

an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

From this reading A TRAGEDY OF THE STAGE.

unusualadjectiveUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəl/

not usual or common or ordinary

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was several months after the conviction of Grantley and his confederates that the members of Nick Carter’s household all happened to meet at the breakfast table--a rather unusual circumstance.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading It was the latter who held the attention of her companions at that moment.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

YorknounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading The famous New York detective sat at the head of the table.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Ranged about it were Chick, Patsy Garvan, and the latter’s young wife, Adelina, and Ida Jones, Nick’s beautiful woman assistant.

Chapter 18 of The Stolen Brain by Nicholas (House name) Carter holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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.

What does chapter 18 of The Stolen Brain contain?

Chapter 18 holds 98 sentences of The Stolen Brain, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The Stolen Brain by Nicholas (House name) Carter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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.

How do I study chapter 18 of The Stolen Brain?

Work through the 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 20 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.

Can chapter 18 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Stolen Brain

Common questions about reading The Stolen Brain by Nicholas (House name) Carter on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Stolen Brain?

Yes. All 4124 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66740 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Stolen Brain is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #66740, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Stolen Brain take to read?

About 343 minutes of reading across 825 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Stolen Brain section by section

How to work through The Stolen Brain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Stolen Brain to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Stolen Brain

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Stolen Brain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Carter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Stolen Brain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stands
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Stolen Brain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Interesting
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Stolen Brain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Detective
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Stolen Brain; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.