Chapter 6 of Piccadilly is here in full — 757 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Piccadilly is here in full — 757 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE "----." PICCADILLY, _July 1_. I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed. The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it. I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
Chapter 6 of Piccadilly is here in full — 757 sentences across 152 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/151 · 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.
any of several trees of the genus Populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind
From this reading “The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.”
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading “I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.”
the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)
From this reading “I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.”
the month following June and preceding August
plural of “lamb” — young sheep
From this reading “I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.”
with respect to moral principles
From this reading “The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.”
superlative of “thin” — of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
From this reading “I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.”
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading “I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.”
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 “I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.”
In this reading “I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.”
In this reading “I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.”
In this reading “I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PICCADILLY, _July 1_.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
any of several trees of the genus Populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
at any time
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
the month following June and preceding August
From this reading PICCADILLY, _July 1_.
plural of “lamb” — young sheep
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
with respect to moral principles
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PICCADILLY, _July 1_.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
done under pressure
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
a person, without saying who
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
carry out
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE "----."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
superlative of “thin” — of relatively small extent from one surface to the opposite or in cross section
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
a shaky motion
From this reading The fact is, I am morally trembling like an aspen; but somebody must do it.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
precisely as stated
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I am now about to venture upon the very thinnest ice upon which fool ever rushed.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading I have put it off for five months, and tried to work up my courage by hammering away at the fashionable world, but they take it like lambs.
Chapter 6 of Piccadilly by Laurence Oliphant holds 757 sentences, grouped into 152 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 757 sentences of Piccadilly, unabridged, divided into 152 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Piccadilly by Laurence Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 757 sentences, grouped into 152 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 152 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 152 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 Piccadilly by Laurence Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2710 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36277 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36277, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 225 minutes of reading across 542 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Piccadilly section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Piccadilly 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 Piccadilly, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
