Chapter 6 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.” It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening. Gerald was in bed and asleep. Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling. Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.
Chapter 6 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 state of sleep
From this reading “Gerald was in bed and asleep.”
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading “Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.”
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading “Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.”
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading “Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.”
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.””
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.”
pierce with many holes
From this reading “A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.””
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading “Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.”
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 “It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.”
In this reading “Gerald was in bed and asleep.”
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 A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Gerald was in bed and asleep.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
in a state of sleep
From this reading Gerald was in bed and asleep.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Gerald was in bed and asleep.
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.”
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gerald was in bed and asleep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.”
according to the clock
From this reading It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.”
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
pierce with many holes
From this reading A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Opposite him, looking into his face, sat Philip.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A RIDDLE NOT EASILY ANSWERED――THE “OLD PROVINCE.”
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading Mr. Hilliard was lying back in his leather arm-chair, his eyes resting thoughtfully on the ceiling.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was nearly ten o’clock in the evening.
Chapter 6 of Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 156 sentences of Left to Themselves, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4254 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 354 minutes of reading across 851 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Left to Themselves section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Left to Themselves 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 Left to Themselves, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
