Chapter 6 of The blind bow-boy is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The blind bow-boy is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold. How could everybody smile? And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware. Did they all understand why life was so cruel? Did they all comprehend the jest of the cruelty?
Chapter 6 of The blind bow-boy is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading “And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.”
get the meaning of something
From this reading “Did they all comprehend the jest of the cruelty?”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “Did they all understand why life was so cruel?”
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading “Did they all comprehend the jest of the cruelty?”
with cynicism; in a cynical manner
From this reading “And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.”
plural of “drain” — emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it
From this reading “Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.”
every person
From this reading “How could everybody smile?”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “Did they all comprehend the jest of the cruelty?”
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 “Did they all understand why life was so cruel?”
In this reading “And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
get the meaning of something
From this reading Did they all comprehend the jest of the cruelty?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could everybody smile?
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Did they all understand why life was so cruel?
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading Did they all comprehend the jest of the cruelty?
with cynicism; in a cynical manner
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did they all understand why life was so cruel?
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
plural of “drain” — emptying something accomplished by allowing liquid to run out of it
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
every person
From this reading How could everybody smile?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could everybody smile?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading Did they all comprehend the jest of the cruelty?
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Did they all understand why life was so cruel?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading How could everybody smile?
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Did they all understand why life was so cruel?
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Did they all understand why life was so cruel?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Drains, too, was smiling, as he opened the door for Harold.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And they all smiled cynically, as if they knew some secret of which he was not aware.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Did they all understand why life was so cruel?
Chapter 6 of The blind bow-boy by Carl Van Vechten holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 394 sentences of The blind bow-boy, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The blind bow-boy by Carl Van Vechten exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 blind bow-boy by Carl Van Vechten on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The blind bow-boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The blind bow-boy 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 blind bow-boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
