The Czar

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Czar is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Deborah Alcock • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.”

“Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

Ivan Ivanovitch--as he was usually called by his numerous friends, such use of the father’s Christian name being accounted the best style and the highest courtesy in Russian society--had now completed his education.

He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter VI Reading 1/34

The Czar Deborah Alcock

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Czar is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

“ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.” “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’” Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow. Ivan Ivanovitch--as he was usually called by his numerous friends, such use of the father’s Christian name being accounted the best style and the highest courtesy in Russian society--had now completed his education. He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

The Czar

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Czar is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

“ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.”

/ɑːn ðə edʒ ʌv ðə stɔːrm/

Line 2

“Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

Line 3

Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

Line 4

Line 5

He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

Learner Dictionary

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.

accounted verb US /əˈkaʊntɪd/

past form of “account” — be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition, supply, or disposal of something

From this reading “Ivan Ivanovitch--as he was usually called by his numerous friends, such use of the father’s Christian name being accounted the best style and the highest courtesy in Russian society--had now completed his education.”

adept adjective US /əˈdept/

having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude

From this reading “He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.”

fatherland noun US /ˈfɑːðərlænd/

the country where you were born

From this reading ““Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’””

inherits verb US /ˌɪnˈherəts/

third-person singular of “inherit” — obtain from someone after their death

From this reading ““Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’””

Moscow noun US /ˈmɑːskoʊ/

a city of central European Russia; formerly capital of both the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia; since 1991 the capital of the Russian Federation

From this reading “Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.”

ornament verb US /ˈɔːrnəmənt/

make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.

From this reading “Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.”

salons noun US /səˈlɑːnz/

plural of “salon” — gallery where works of art can be displayed

violin noun US /vaɪəˈlɪn/

bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow

From this reading “He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

young nobleman adjective + noun

In this reading “Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.”

exquisite grace adjective + noun

In this reading “He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.”

ON THE EDGE preposition + article + noun counted as “on … edge”

In this reading ““ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.””

best style noun + noun

In this reading “Ivan Ivanovitch--as he was usually called by his numerous friends, such use of the father’s Christian name being accounted the best style and the highest courtesy in Russian society--had now completed his education.”

at cards preposition + noun

In this reading “He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.”

numerous friends adjective + noun counted as “numerous friend”

ornament of verb + particle

In this reading “Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.”

All words in this reading · 79

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.

accountedverbUS /əˈkaʊntɪd/

past form of “account” — be the sole or primary factor in the existence, acquisition, supply, or disposal of something

From this reading Ivan Ivanovitch--as he was usually called by his numerous friends, such use of the father’s Christian name being accounted the best style and the highest courtesy in Russian society--had now completed his education.

adeptadjectiveUS /əˈdept/

having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

AgenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

ball-rooms

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

cardsnounUS /kɑːrdz/

a game played with playing cards

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

changingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃeɪndʒɪŋ/

marked by continuous change or effective action

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

childnounUS /tʃaɪld/

a young person of either sex

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

ChristianadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪstʃən/

relating to or characteristic of Christianity

completedadjectiveUS /kəmˈpliːtəd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

courtesynounUS /ˈkɜːrtəsi/

a courteous or respectful or considerate act

dancedverbUS /dænst/

past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

EDGEnounUS /edʒ/

the boundary of a surface

From this reading “ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.”

educationnounUS /ˌedʒəˈkeɪʃən/

the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill

exquisiteadjectiveUS /ˈekskwəzət/

intense or sharp

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/

possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

fatherlandnounUS /ˈfɑːðərlænd/

the country where you were born

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

FrenchnounUS /frentʃ/

the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

gracenounUS /ɡreɪs/

(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

gracefuladjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪsfəl/

characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

handsomeadjectiveUS /ˈhænsəm/

pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

hero-spirits

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

highestadjectiveUS /ˈhaɪəst/

superlative of “high” — greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

inheritsverbUS /ˌɪnˈherəts/

third-person singular of “inherit” — obtain from someone after their death

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

Ivan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

Ivanovitch

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

lampnounUS /læmp/

an artificial source of visible illumination

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

lordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

loto

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

MoscownounUS /ˈmɑːskoʊ/

a city of central European Russia; formerly capital of both the Soviet Union and Soviet Russia; since 1991 the capital of the Russian Federation

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

Nicolofsky

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

noblemannounUS /ˈnoʊbəlmən/

a titled peer of the realm

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

numerousadjectiveUS /ˈnuːmərəs/

amounting to a large indefinite number

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.”

ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.”

ornamentverbUS /ˈɔːrnəmənt/

make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

PassverbUS /pæs/

go across or through

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

perfectionnounUS /pərˈfekʃən/

the state of being without a flaw or defect

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

playedadjectiveUS /pleɪd/

(of games) engaged in

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

racenounUS /reɪs/

any competition

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

RussiannounUS /ˈrʌʃən/

a native or inhabitant of Russia

salonsnounUS /səˈlɑːnz/

plural of “salon” — gallery where works of art can be displayed

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

societynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/

an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

StilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

STORMverbUS /stɔːrm/

behave violently, as if in state of a great anger

From this reading “ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.”

stylenounUS /staɪl/

how something is done or how it happens

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading “ON THE EDGE OF THE STORM.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

usuallyadverbUS /ˈjuːʒəwəli/

under normal conditions

violinnounUS /vaɪəˈlɪn/

bowed stringed instrument that is the highest member of the violin family; this instrument has four strings and a hollow body and an unfretted fingerboard and is played with a bow

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

WifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He spoke French, the French of the _salons_, in perfection; he played the violin; he danced with exquisite grace; he was an adept at cards and loto.

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

From this reading “Still the race of hero-spirits Pass the lamp from hand to hand; Age from age the words inherits-- ‘Wife, and child, and fatherland!’”

YearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Years came and went, changing the “little lord” of Nicolofsky into the graceful, handsome young nobleman, the ornament of the ball-rooms of Moscow.

Chapter 6 of The Czar by Deborah Alcock holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

What does chapter 6 of The Czar contain?

Chapter 6 holds 170 sentences of The Czar, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The Czar by Deborah Alcock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

How do I study chapter 6 of The Czar?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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.

Can chapter 6 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Czar

Common questions about reading The Czar by Deborah Alcock on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Czar?

Yes. All 7341 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #49782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Czar take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1469 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Czar

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Czar, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Czar; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter VI

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