Chapter 6 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods is here in full — 285 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods is here in full — 285 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank. We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us. Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself. “What you laughing at?” I asked him.
Chapter 6 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods is here in full — 285 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading “We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.”
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading “We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.”
-ing form of “flounder” — walk with great difficulty
From this reading “We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.”
in a gradual manner
From this reading “We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.”
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading “We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.”
attach a tag or label to
From this reading “Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.”
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 “We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.”
In this reading “We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.”
In this reading “We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.”
In this reading “We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.”
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 We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “What you laughing at?”
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
-ing form of “flounder” — walk with great difficulty
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
in a gradual manner
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I asked him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.
ten 10s
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
and nothing more
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
engage in
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
in or at that place or location
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.
up to a particular time
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We could just see them, but gradually it got lighter and lighter until we could make them out as plainly as they could us.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Most of the time Mark was laughing to himself.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We sat there in the boat about a hundred feet from shore and watched Collins and the fat man floundering around on the bank.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What you laughing at?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What you laughing at?”
Chapter 6 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods by Clarence Budington Kelland holds 285 sentences, grouped into 57 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 285 sentences of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods by Clarence Budington Kelland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 285 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 Mark Tidd in the Backwoods by Clarence Budington Kelland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4733 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57197 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57197, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 394 minutes of reading across 947 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mark Tidd in the Backwoods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Mark Tidd in the Backwoods 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 Mark Tidd in the Backwoods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
