Chapter 6 of Across the Years is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Across the Years is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Was it possible? Had she, indeed, been so blind? Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room. "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily. "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
Chapter 6 of Across the Years is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading “Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.”
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “Had she, indeed, been so blind?”
possessive form of “burton” — English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading “Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.”
placed crosswise
From this reading “Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “"Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “"Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.”
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had she, indeed, been so blind?
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading Had she, indeed, been so blind?
possessive form of “burton” — English explorer who with John Speke was the first European to explore Lake Tanganyika (1821-1890)
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
placed crosswise
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
a female human offspring
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had she, indeed, been so blind?
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Had she, indeed, been so blind?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Was it possible?
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Was it possible?
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had she, indeed, been so blind?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Had she, indeed, been so blind?
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. John rose to her feet, bathed her eyes, straightened her neck-bow, and crossed the hall to Grandma Burton's room.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Was it possible?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Jest as nice as can be, daughter,--and ain't this room pretty?" returned the little old woman eagerly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, mother, and how are you getting along?" she asked cheerily.
Chapter 6 of Across the Years by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of Across the Years, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Across the Years by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Across the Years by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3631 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6991 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6991, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 302 minutes of reading across 727 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Across the Years section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Across the Years 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 Across the Years, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
