Chapter 6 of Tales from Bohemia is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Tales from Bohemia is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word: “Damn!” He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument. Presently he said, in a husky voice: “How that thing pursues me!
Chapter 6 of Tales from Bohemia is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
characterized by expression
From this reading “He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.”
muscular and heavily built
From this reading “Presently he said, in a husky voice:”
continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature
From this reading “He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.”
inflected form of “propel” — cause to move forward with force
From this reading “He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:”
third-person singular of “pursue” — carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading ““How that thing pursues me!”
past form of “thump” — move rhythmically
From this reading “He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.”
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading “He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.”
characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
From this reading “He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.”
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 He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
without stop or interruption
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
used as expletives
From this reading “Damn!”
characterized by expression
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How that thing pursues me!
muscular and heavily built
From this reading Presently he said, in a husky voice:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
a device that requires skill for proper use
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “How that thing pursues me!
continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
in the near future
From this reading Presently he said, in a husky voice:
inflected form of “propel” — cause to move forward with force
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
third-person singular of “pursue” — carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading “How that thing pursues me!
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Presently he said, in a husky voice:
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “How that thing pursues me!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
a special situation
From this reading “How that thing pursues me!
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
past form of “thump” — move rhythmically
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
directed up
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Presently he said, in a husky voice:
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading He remained sitting for a time, his hair tumbled about, his eyes wide open but expressive of meditation as the notes continued to be thumped upward by the turbulent instrument.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading He rose in his bed and, clenching his teeth, he propelled through their interstices the word:
Chapter 6 of Tales from Bohemia by Robert Neilson Stephens holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 447 sentences of Tales from Bohemia, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Tales from Bohemia by Robert Neilson Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 Tales from Bohemia by Robert Neilson Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3571 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8869 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8869, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 297 minutes of reading across 715 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales from Bohemia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Tales from Bohemia 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 Tales from Bohemia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
