Chapter 6 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"How silent it all is up here!" said Emily. I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry. "What is that?" I asked. "I only said it was so silent," said Emily.
Chapter 6 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “I asked.”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.”
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading “I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.”
shoot down, of birds
From this reading “I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.”
set afire or burning
From this reading “I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.”
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading “I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “"How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.”
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.
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 dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
anew
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
(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 "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
set afire or burning
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
and nothing more
From this reading "I only said it was so silent," said Emily.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I only said it was so silent," said Emily.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "What is that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I dropped a lighted match on the grass, and again I heard the little cry.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "How silent it all is up here!" said Emily.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I only said it was so silent," said Emily.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is that?"
Chapter 6 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories by E. M. (Edward Morgan) Forster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2486 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34089 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34089, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 207 minutes of reading across 498 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories 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 Celestial Omnibus, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
