Chapter 6 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table. I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers. Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board. "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?" I said.
Chapter 6 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
a game in which small pointed missiles are thrown at a dartboard
From this reading “Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.”
promote the growth of
From this reading “It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.”
plural of “map” — a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface (or part of it)
From this reading “I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers.”
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading “It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.”
a person who sins (without repenting)
From this reading “It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.”
move rhythmically
From this reading “Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.”
any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease
From this reading “"When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"”
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.
move outward
In this reading “I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers.”
break out
In this reading “It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.”
lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime
In this reading “"When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"”
In this reading “It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.”
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 It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
a game in which small pointed missiles are thrown at a dartboard
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
promote the growth of
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
set up or found
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
the act of departing
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
plural of “map” — a diagrammatic representation of the earth's surface (or part of it)
From this reading I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers.
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said.
a room or establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
a person who sins (without repenting)
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
move rhythmically
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Behind us there was a murmur of conversation and the thump of darts against a board.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading I watched Foster spread out his maps and papers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
at the time that
From this reading It was almost sundown when Foster and I pushed through the door to the saloon bar at the Ancient Sinner and found a corner table.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "When are you going to give up and admit we're wasting our time?"
Chapter 6 of A Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer holds 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 229 sentences of A Trace of Memory, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of A Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5506 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51712 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51712, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 458 minutes of reading across 1102 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Trace of Memory section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Trace of Memory 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 Trace of Memory, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
