Chapter 6 of On the Borderland is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of On the Borderland is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed. “That’s the window of Miss Hartley’s room!” He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder. A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him. He knew she regarded him as an old “fusser.”
Chapter 6 of On the Borderland is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
-ing form of “debate” — argue with one another
From this reading “He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading ““Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.”
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading “He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.”
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
easily agitated
From this reading “A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.”
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading ““Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.”
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading “He knew she regarded him as an old “fusser.””
cool and formal in manner
From this reading “A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.”
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 “He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.”
In this reading “He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.”
In this reading “He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.”
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 nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He knew she regarded him as an old “fusser.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He knew she regarded him as an old “fusser.”
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
dearly loved
From this reading “Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.
-ing form of “debate” — argue with one another
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He knew she regarded him as an old “fusser.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s the window of Miss Hartley’s room!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.
uncertain how to act or proceed
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew she regarded him as an old “fusser.”
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “That’s the window of Miss Hartley’s room!”
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.
easily agitated
From this reading A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “That’s the window of Miss Hartley’s room!”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading “Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading He knew she regarded him as an old “fusser.”
cool and formal in manner
From this reading A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “That’s the window of Miss Hartley’s room!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew she regarded him as an old “fusser.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading A nervous fear of the old lady’s smile restrained him.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s the window of Miss Hartley’s room!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “That’s the window of Miss Hartley’s room!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Dear me! dear me!” said Mr. Todmorden, genuinely perturbed.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading He stood irresolute, debating whether he should ring the bell, and point out the dangerous position of the ladder.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading “That’s the window of Miss Hartley’s room!”
Chapter 6 of On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 430 sentences of On the Borderland, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6737 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65837 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65837, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 561 minutes of reading across 1348 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Borderland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of On the Borderland 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 On the Borderland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
