Chapter 6 of A Speckled Bird is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of A Speckled Bird is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension." "Why Mr. Herriott? And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?" "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling. Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
Chapter 6 of A Speckled Bird is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading “"Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."”
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"”
a courteous or respectful or considerate act
From this reading “Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"”
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading “Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"”
a false or unsupportable quality
From this reading “"Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."”
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “"Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.”
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading “"Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."”
as a verb
From this reading “"Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.”
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 “"Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.”
education provided by a college or university
In this reading “Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"”
as might be expected
In this reading “"Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."”
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.
having a strong desire for success or achievement
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
pleasantly occupied
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
a courteous or respectful or considerate act
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
communicated in words
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
and nothing more
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Only courtesy keeps in check your contempt for our 'higher education.'"
a false or unsupportable quality
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
as a verb
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
at the time that
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And why assume amusement which I certainly have not expressed?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why Mr. Herriott?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Of course, Mr. Herriott, you are vastly amused by my ambitious pretension."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Not verbally; but I quite understand that look in your eyes, when by sheer force of will you hold your lips from smiling.
Chapter 6 of A Speckled Bird by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans holds 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 93 sentences of A Speckled Bird, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of A Speckled Bird by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 Speckled Bird by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5960 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36029 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36029, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 496 minutes of reading across 1192 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Speckled Bird section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of A Speckled Bird 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 Speckled Bird, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
