Chapter 6 of Darrel of the Blessed Isles 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 Darrel of the Blessed Isles is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious. For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought. "Play checkers?" he inquired. "Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both. "Old Sledge?"
Chapter 6 of Darrel of the Blessed Isles 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.
replying
From this reading “"Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both.”
a checkerboard game for two players who each have 12 pieces; the object is to jump over and so capture the opponent's pieces
From this reading “"Play checkers?" he inquired.”
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading “For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"Play checkers?" he inquired.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.”
without speaking
From this reading “They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.”
transport in a sleigh
From this reading “"Old Sledge?"”
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
From this reading “They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.”
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 For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
replying
From this reading "Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
the two together, not just one
From this reading "Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both.
a checkerboard game for two players who each have 12 pieces; the object is to jump over and so capture the opponent's pieces
From this reading "Play checkers?" he inquired.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Play checkers?" he inquired.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Play checkers?" he inquired.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Old Sledge?"
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
participate in games or sport
From this reading "Play checkers?" he inquired.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both.
without speaking
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
transport in a sleigh
From this reading "Old Sledge?"
openly distrustful and unwilling to confide
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
a special situation
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They looked up at him and then at each other, Letitia laughing silently, S'mantha suspicious.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Afraid we couldn't," said Miss Letitia, answering for both.
a late time of life
From this reading For many years fun had been a thing far from their thought.
Chapter 6 of Darrel of the Blessed Isles by Irving Bacheller holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 Darrel of the Blessed Isles, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Darrel of the Blessed Isles by Irving Bacheller exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 Darrel of the Blessed Isles by Irving Bacheller on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5302 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12102 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12102, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 441 minutes of reading across 1061 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Darrel of the Blessed Isles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Darrel of the Blessed Isles 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 Darrel of the Blessed Isles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
