Chapter 6 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked. "What can you be thinking of? He only offered himself at five!" "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly. "There is no engagement."
Chapter 6 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories is here in full — 401 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 “enable” — render capable or able for some task
From this reading “Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.”
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “"Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.”
plural of “engagement” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “"Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.”
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.”
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading “"Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.”
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.”
in a grave and sedate manner
From this reading “"Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.”
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading “Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He only offered himself at five!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "What can you be thinking of?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "What can you be thinking of?
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
past form of “enable” — render capable or able for some task
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
plural of “engagement” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading He only offered himself at five!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He only offered himself at five!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He only offered himself at five!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There is no engagement."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
take in marriage
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
not any; not one
From this reading "There is no engagement."
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading He only offered himself at five!"
and nothing more
From this reading He only offered himself at five!"
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
in a grave and sedate manner
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
of high or superior quality or performance
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is no engagement."
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "What can you be thinking of?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Lethbury's superior command of her features enabled her to look shocked.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What can you be thinking of?
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "Of course--of course--" stammered Lethbury--"but nowadays people marry after such short engagements--" "Engagement!" said his wife solemnly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What can you be thinking of?
Chapter 6 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories by Edith Wharton holds 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 401 sentences of The Descent of Man and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Descent of Man and Other Stories by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 401 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Descent of Man and Other Stories by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4069 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4519 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4519, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 339 minutes of reading across 814 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Descent of Man and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Descent of Man 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 Descent of Man and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
