Chapter 6 of Prairie Folks is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Prairie Folks is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY. The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd. SOME VILLAGE CRONIES. Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County. They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
Chapter 6 of Prairie Folks is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
third-person singular of “abound” — be abundant or plentiful; exist in large quantities
From this reading “The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.”
a checkerboard game for two players who each have 12 pieces; the object is to jump over and so capture the opponent's pieces
From this reading “VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.”
plural of “crony” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading “VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.”
a marketplace where groceries are sold
From this reading “VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.”
plural of “joker” — a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes
From this reading “The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.”
a stout lever with a sharp spike; used for handling logs
From this reading “Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.”
an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products
From this reading “Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.”
lacking or characterized by lack of ambition or initiative; lazy
From this reading “The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.”
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 VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
third-person singular of “abound” — be abundant or plentiful; exist in large quantities
From this reading The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
a checkerboard game for two players who each have 12 pieces; the object is to jump over and so capture the opponent's pieces
From this reading VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
lacking a conscience
From this reading The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
plural of “crony” — a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
a marketplace where groceries are sold
From this reading VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
plural of “joker” — a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes
From this reading The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.
and nothing more
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
a stout lever with a sharp spike; used for handling logs
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
an elastic material obtained from the latex sap of trees (especially trees of the genera Hevea and Ficus) that can be vulcanized and finished into a variety of products
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
covered with or consisting of rust
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
lacking or characterized by lack of ambition or initiative; lazy
From this reading The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.
marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
From this reading The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading SOME VILLAGE CRONIES.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading Colonel Peavy had just begun the rubber with Squire Gordon, of Cerro Gordo County.
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading VILLAGE CRONIES: A GAME OF CHECKERS AT THE GROCERY.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were seated in Robie's grocery, behind the rusty old cannon stove, the checker-board spread out on their knees.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The village life abounds with jokers, Shiftless, conscienceless and shrewd.
Chapter 6 of Prairie Folks by Hamlin Garland holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 226 sentences of Prairie Folks, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Prairie Folks by Hamlin Garland exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Prairie Folks by Hamlin Garland on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20697 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20697, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 284 minutes of reading across 683 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Prairie Folks section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Prairie Folks 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 Prairie Folks, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
