Chapter 6 of The cost of wings, and other stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The cost of wings, and other stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Rosval summoned the nurse. The nurse could do nothing. For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin. That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea. The execution of it cost her a severe struggle.
Chapter 6 of The cost of wings, and other stories is here in full — 424 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
From this reading “That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.”
(American football) a successful forward pass in football
From this reading “That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.”
before any deductions
From this reading “For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.”
a clear appearance
From this reading “For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.”
not growing or changing; without force or vitality
From this reading “For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.”
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading “For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.”
stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
From this reading “For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.”
-ing form of “progress” — develop in a positive way
From this reading “That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.”
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 For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
(American football) a successful forward pass in football
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
past form of “conceive” — have the idea for
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading The execution of it cost her a severe struggle.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The nurse could do nothing.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The nurse could do nothing.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
putting a condemned person to death
From this reading The execution of it cost her a severe struggle.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
before any deductions
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The execution of it cost her a severe struggle.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The execution of it cost her a severe struggle.
a clear appearance
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
not growing or changing; without force or vitality
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Rosval summoned the nurse.
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The nurse could do nothing.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading Mrs. Rosval summoned the nurse.
resoluteness by virtue of being unyielding and inflexible
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
-ing form of “progress” — develop in a positive way
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Rosval summoned the nurse.
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading The execution of it cost her a severe struggle.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading The execution of it cost her a severe struggle.
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading Mrs. Rosval summoned the nurse.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Rosval summoned the nurse.
in the direction of
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For the moribund was obdurate, and every fresh manifestation of obduracy drove not one, but half a gross of nails into his coffin.
at the time that
From this reading That casket was fast progressing toward completion, when Mrs. Rosval conceived a desperate idea.
Chapter 6 of The cost of wings, and other stories by Richard Dehan holds 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 424 sentences of The cost of wings, and other stories, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The cost of wings, and other stories by Richard Dehan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 424 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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.
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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 cost of wings, and other stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The cost of wings, 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 cost of wings, and other stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
