Chapter 6 of Taking Chances is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Taking Chances is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance. ’You’re wasting your stake.’ "’I got a chance,’ was the reply. "The man got out his other horse on the following day. He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
Chapter 6 of Taking Chances is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
plural of “bookmaker” — a maker of books; someone who edits or publishes or binds books
From this reading “"’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.”
a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
From this reading “He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.”
fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug
From this reading “He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.”
any competition
From this reading “He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.”
a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading “He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.”
(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something
From this reading “’You’re wasting your stake.’”
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “"’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.”
any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease
From this reading “’You’re wasting your stake.’”
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 “"The man got out his other horse on the following day.”
In this reading “"’I got a chance,’ was the reply.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “"The man got out his other horse on the following day.”
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 He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "’I got a chance,’ was the reply.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
plural of “bookmaker” — a maker of books; someone who edits or publishes or binds books
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "’I got a chance,’ was the reply.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "The man got out his other horse on the following day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading "The man got out his other horse on the following day.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "’I got a chance,’ was the reply.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "The man got out his other horse on the following day.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading "The man got out his other horse on the following day.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "’I got a chance,’ was the reply.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
immediately past
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
without merit; of little or no value or use
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "The man got out his other horse on the following day.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "The man got out his other horse on the following day.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
fill or close tightly with or as if with a plug
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
any competition
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading "’I got a chance,’ was the reply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something
From this reading ’You’re wasting your stake.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He got 50 to 1 on him for the six-furlong race, and his plug, another rank and no-account looker, finished last.
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "’I got a chance,’ was the reply.
any general reduction in vitality and strength of body and mind resulting from a debilitating chronic disease
From this reading ’You’re wasting your stake.’
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "’Why don’t you cut it out?’ asked one of the bookmakers of the man with the tough appearance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ’You’re wasting your stake.’
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ’You’re wasting your stake.’
Chapter 6 of Taking Chances by Clarence Louis, -1922 Cullen holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of Taking Chances, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Taking Chances by Clarence Louis, -1922 Cullen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Taking Chances by Clarence Louis, -1922 Cullen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4035 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37477 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37477, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 336 minutes of reading across 807 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Taking Chances section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Taking Chances 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 Taking Chances, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
