Chapter 6 of The Flight of the Shadow is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Flight of the Shadow is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MIRROR. I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there. A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up. Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me. My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
Chapter 6 of The Flight of the Shadow is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading “My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.”
an inclination to withhold approval from some person or group
From this reading “Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.”
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading “Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.”
be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading “Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.”
a female domestic
From this reading “A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.”
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading “THE MIRROR.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.”
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 woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
clothing in general
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
an inclination to withhold approval from some person or group
From this reading Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.
destroyed or killed
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
a female domestic
From this reading A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading THE MIRROR.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.
To recall to mind.
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MIRROR.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.
precisely as stated
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A maid appeared, and told me it was time to get up.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading My clothes looked very miserable, I remember, in consequence of what they had gone through the night before.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading I woke the next morning in a strange bed, and for a long time could not think how I came to be there.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Greatly to my dislike, she would insist on dressing me.
Chapter 6 of The Flight of the Shadow by George MacDonald holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 90 sentences of The Flight of the Shadow, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Flight of the Shadow by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Flight of the Shadow by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3898 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8902 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8902, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 780 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Flight of the Shadow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Flight of the Shadow 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 Flight of the Shadow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
