Chapter 18 of The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories 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 Troll Garden, and Selected Stories is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The old man's lips were working under his stained beard. He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked. “Thank 'ee, Jim, thank 'ee.” He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead. “He was a good boy, Jim; always a good boy.
Chapter 18 of The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories 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.
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading “The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.”
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading “He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.”
a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard
From this reading “He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.”
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading “He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.”
marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter
From this reading “The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.”
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading “He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.”
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 was a good boy, Jim; always a good boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “He was a good boy, Jim; always a good boy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
a youthful male person
From this reading “He was a good boy, Jim; always a good boy.
touched lightly in passing; grazed against
From this reading He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
the branch of engineering science that studies the uses of electricity and the equipment for power generation and distribution and the control of machines and communication
From this reading “Thank 'ee, Jim, thank 'ee.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.
in a gradual manner
From this reading He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “He was a good boy, Jim; always a good boy.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thank 'ee, Jim, thank 'ee.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
possessive form of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading He brushed the hair back gently from his son's forehead.
marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “Thank 'ee, Jim, thank 'ee.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “He was a good boy, Jim; always a good boy.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He turned to the lawyer with timid deference: “Phelps and the rest are comin' back to set up with Harve, ain't they?” he asked.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading The old man's lips were working under his stained beard.
Chapter 18 of The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories by Willa Cather holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 166 sentences of The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories by Willa Cather exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 Troll Garden, and Selected Stories by Willa Cather on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4581 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #346 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #346, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 381 minutes of reading across 917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Troll Garden, and Selected Stories 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 Troll Garden, and Selected Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
