Chapter 6 of Imperfectly Proper is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Imperfectly Proper is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp. If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us. But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible. No time was lost on the proper "stance." We stood any old way.
Chapter 6 of Imperfectly Proper is here in full — 451 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible.”
hold firmly
From this reading “The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.”
in an idiotic manner
From this reading “But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible.”
showing lack of care for consequences
From this reading “But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible.”
a sign of something about to happen
From this reading “If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.”
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading “If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.”
standing posture
From this reading “No time was lost on the proper "stance."”
past form of “wobble” — move unsteadily
From this reading “The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.”
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.
In this reading “The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.”
In this reading “The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading We stood any old way.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible.
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
hold firmly
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
in an idiotic manner
From this reading But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
showing lack of care for consequences
From this reading But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading No time was lost on the proper "stance."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
not any; not one
From this reading No time was lost on the proper "stance."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading We stood any old way.
a sign of something about to happen
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading No time was lost on the proper "stance."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading No time was lost on the proper "stance."
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
on the contrary
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
standing posture
From this reading No time was lost on the proper "stance."
not in physical motion
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading We stood any old way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
in or at that place or location
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading No time was lost on the proper "stance."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No time was lost on the proper "stance."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading We stood any old way.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading If we had recognized the omen, there might still have been hope for us.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But we were cheerfully, idiotically irresponsible.
past form of “wobble” — move unsteadily
From this reading The club felt rather queer, and it wobbled in our grasp.
Chapter 6 of Imperfectly Proper by Peter Donovan holds 451 sentences, grouped into 91 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 451 sentences of Imperfectly Proper, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Imperfectly Proper by Peter Donovan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 451 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Imperfectly Proper by Peter Donovan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3579 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52438 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52438, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Imperfectly Proper section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Imperfectly Proper 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 Imperfectly Proper, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
