Chapter 6 of Shifting Sands is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Shifting Sands is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled. "He does hear something," asserted Sylvia. "What do you suppose it is?" "Gulls, most likely. They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
Chapter 6 of Shifting Sands is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
confidently declared to be so
From this reading “"He does hear something," asserted Sylvia.”
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading “They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.”
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.”
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading “They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.”
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading “The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.”
plural of “gull” — a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading “"Gulls, most likely.”
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading “The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.”
one who sets written material into type
From this reading “The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.”
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 “"Gulls, most likely.”
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
react verbally
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
confidently declared to be so
From this reading "He does hear something," asserted Sylvia.
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you suppose it is?"
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He does hear something," asserted Sylvia.
the act of departing
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
past form of “growl” — to utter or emit low dull rumbling sounds
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
plural of “gull” — a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading "Gulls, most likely.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "He does hear something," asserted Sylvia.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What do you suppose it is?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What do you suppose it is?"
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading "Gulls, most likely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
used to form the superlative
From this reading "Gulls, most likely.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
one who sets written material into type
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "He does hear something," asserted Sylvia.
express a supposition
From this reading "What do you suppose it is?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He does hear something," asserted Sylvia.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They circle above the house in clouds," was Marcia's careless answer.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you suppose it is?"
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 The nose of the setter quivered and, going to the window, he growled.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you suppose it is?"
Chapter 6 of Shifting Sands by Sara Ware Bassett holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 219 sentences of Shifting Sands, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Shifting Sands by Sara Ware Bassett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Shifting Sands by Sara Ware Bassett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5568 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43773 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43773, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 464 minutes of reading across 1114 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shifting Sands section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Shifting Sands 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 Shifting Sands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
