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An Experiment in Altruism
An Experiment in Altruism

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 6 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

What does chapter 6 of An Experiment in Altruism contain?

Chapter 6 holds 80 sentences of An Experiment in Altruism, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

How do I study chapter 6 of An Experiment in Altruism?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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.

Can chapter 6 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading An Experiment in Altruism

Common questions about reading An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of An Experiment in Altruism?

Yes. All 2299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of An Experiment in Altruism is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #67432, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does An Experiment in Altruism take to read?

About 191 minutes of reading across 460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read An Experiment in Altruism section by section

How to work through An Experiment in Altruism section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of An Experiment in Altruism to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in An Experiment in Altruism

Words and structures a reader meets early in An Experiment in Altruism, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tantalus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Experiment in Altruism; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Janet
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Experiment in Altruism; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Standing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Experiment in Altruism; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Water
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Experiment in Altruism; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for An Experiment in Altruism
Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.
“But what do you do it for?
You can’t help.
You only harrow up your own feelings.”
It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

An Experiment in Altruism

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.
Line 2
“But what do you do it for?
/bʌt wʌt duː juː duː ɪt fɔːr/
Line 3
You can’t help.
Line 4
You only harrow up your own feelings.”
Line 5
It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

Learner Dictionary

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, audio, and collocations from this reading.

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading ““Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.”

Within preposition US /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading ““Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.”

All words in this reading · 44

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

BEN

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “But what do you do it for?

can't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You can’t help.

chair

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

clouds

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

device

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “But what do you do it for?

feelings

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You only harrow up your own feelings.”

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading “But what do you do it for?

harrow

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You only harrow up your own feelings.”

heart

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

help

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You can’t help.

HerdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

Janet

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

JONSON

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

little

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

old-fashioned

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

only

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You only harrow up your own feelings.”

own

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You only harrow up your own feelings.”

perverse

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

ring

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

shine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

side

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

sitting

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

spoke

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

tall

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

tea-table

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

unhappy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

up

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You only harrow up your own feelings.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “But what do you do it for?

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

winsome

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Janet who spoke, perverse, unhappy, winsome Janet, sitting in a tall, old-fashioned chair at the side of her little tea-table.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading “Her device, within a ring of clouds, a heart with shine about it.”—BEN JONSON.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “But what do you do it for?

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You only harrow up your own feelings.”