Chapter 6 of A Handy Guide for Beggars is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of A Handy Guide for Beggars is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black. The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed. She said she had washed them yesterday. But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house. Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
Chapter 6 of A Handy Guide for Beggars is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
physically weak
From this reading “There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.”
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading “There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.”
(of linens or clothes) smoothed with a hot iron
From this reading “The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.”
full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds
From this reading “Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.””
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.”
(“ill” is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
From this reading “The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.”
a black colloidal substance consisting wholly or principally of amorphous carbon and used to make pigments and ink
From this reading “The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.”
marked with or as if with stripes or linear discolorations
From this reading “The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.”
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.
In this reading “There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.”
In this reading “There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.”
In this reading “The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house.
without stop or interruption
From this reading But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house.
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house.
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
physically weak
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She said she had washed them yesterday.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
(of linens or clothes) smoothed with a hot iron
From this reading The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
and nothing more
From this reading But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading But, she continued, “I just keep cheerful, I don’t keep house.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
full of or characterized by loud and nonmusical sounds
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
(“ill” is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
From this reading The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading She said she had washed them yesterday.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She said she had washed them yesterday.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
a black colloidal substance consisting wholly or principally of amorphous carbon and used to make pigments and ink
From this reading The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.
marked with or as if with stripes or linear discolorations
From this reading The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She said she had washed them yesterday.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Doesn’t seem like I can, this street is so awful dirty and noisy and foreign.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
clean by virtue of having been washed in water
From this reading She said she had washed them yesterday.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were in the next room, among other things, two frail gilt parlor chairs, almost black.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The curtains were streaked with soot and poorly ironed.
the day immediately before today
From this reading She said she had washed them yesterday.
Chapter 6 of A Handy Guide for Beggars by Vachel Lindsay holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 6 holds 396 sentences of A Handy Guide for Beggars, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of A Handy Guide for Beggars by Vachel Lindsay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 6 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 A Handy Guide for Beggars by Vachel Lindsay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2774 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67947 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67947, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 231 minutes of reading across 555 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Handy Guide for Beggars section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of A Handy Guide for Beggars 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 A Handy Guide for Beggars, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
