Chapter 6 of The Bandbox is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Bandbox is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly.... Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms.... Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it. "Why don't you look?" he demanded, irritated. "I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
Chapter 6 of The Bandbox is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading “"The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....”
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading “"Why don't you look?" he demanded, irritated.”
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.”
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.”
-ing form of “pluck” — pull or pull out sharply
From this reading “Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.”
inflected form of “recur” — happen or occur again
From this reading “Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....”
a lightweight cord
From this reading “"The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....”
believed likely
From this reading “Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....”
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 “"I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.”
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--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading "I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "Why don't you look?" he demanded, irritated.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why don't you look?" he demanded, irritated.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
aroused to impatience or anger
From this reading "Why don't you look?" he demanded, irritated.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
immediately past
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Why don't you look?" he demanded, irritated.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
-ing form of “pluck” — pull or pull out sharply
From this reading Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.
inflected form of “recur” — happen or occur again
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
cut with a saw
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
a lightweight cord
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
believed likely
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "I--I'm afraid," she said in a broken voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
at the time that
From this reading "The string was on it when I saw it last," he told her blankly....
which person or people
From this reading Then the memory recurred of the man who had passed him at the door--the man who, he suspected, had forced an entrance to his rooms....
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why don't you look?" he demanded, irritated.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Alison was plucking nervously at the cover without lifting it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why don't you look?" he demanded, irritated.
Chapter 6 of The Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of The Bandbox, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 The Bandbox by Louis Joseph Vance on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31021 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31021, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 831 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bandbox section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Bandbox 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 The Bandbox, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
