Chapter 6 of Preferred Risk is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Preferred Risk is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults." * * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell. She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes. "You don't have to speculate about it, Rena. I looked up his record, you see."
Chapter 6 of Preferred Risk is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading “I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."”
cause to move by striking
From this reading “* * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell.”
(of games) engaged in
From this reading “I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."”
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading “I looked up his record, you see."”
to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading “"You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes.”
produce a sound as if from a trumpet
From this reading “I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."”
plural of “vault” — a burial chamber (usually underground)
From this reading “I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."”
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.
a playing card in the suit that has been declared trumps
In this reading “I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."”
In this reading “"You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.”
seek information from
In this reading “I looked up his record, you see."”
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 I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading * * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading * * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I looked up his record, you see."
cause to move by striking
From this reading * * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I looked up his record, you see."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading I looked up his record, you see."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I looked up his record, you see."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading * * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell.
to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
From this reading "You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes.
express a supposition
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
express in words
From this reading * * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading * * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You don't have to speculate about it, Rena.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
produce a sound as if from a trumpet
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I looked up his record, you see."
plural of “vault” — a burial chamber (usually underground)
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading * * * * * She was hit by that, I could tell.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading She was staring at me with wonder in her eyes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I played a trump card: "Suppose I told you the _real_ reason he's in the vaults."
Chapter 6 of Preferred Risk by Edson McCann holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 408 sentences of Preferred Risk, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Preferred Risk by Edson McCann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Preferred Risk by Edson McCann on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4942 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51814 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51814, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 411 minutes of reading across 989 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Preferred Risk section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of Preferred Risk 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 Preferred Risk, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
