Chapter 6 of Empire Builders is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Empire Builders is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's an allegory. I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull. Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down. I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way." Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
Chapter 6 of Empire Builders is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 short moral story (often with animal characters)
From this reading “"It's an allegory.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.”
an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
From this reading “Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.”
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading “Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.”
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.”
set afire or burning
From this reading “Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull.”
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading “Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.”
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
a short moral story (often with animal characters)
From this reading "It's an allegory.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "It's an allegory.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's an allegory.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
set afire or burning
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
cause to move by pulling
From this reading I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I'm beginning to feel the draw-bar pull.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Kenneth had lighted his cigar and was lying back against the cushion of the car-seat.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I can't fight as the under dog--I never learned how; and they've fixed it so that I can't fight any other way."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Sooner or later, North and his clique will drag me down.
Chapter 6 of Empire Builders by Francis Lynde holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Empire Builders, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Empire Builders by Francis Lynde exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Empire Builders by Francis Lynde on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5002 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16630 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16630, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 416 minutes of reading across 1001 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Empire Builders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Empire Builders 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 Empire Builders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
