Chapter 6 of The fool of the family is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The fool of the family is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CONFIDENCE GAME. "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have. However, I shall have to make a compromise with you. Name your terms." "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
Chapter 6 of The fool of the family is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
make a compromise; arrive at a compromise
From this reading “However, I shall have to make a compromise with you.”
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading “THE CONFIDENCE GAME.”
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading “THE CONFIDENCE GAME.”
in motion
From this reading “"You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.”
in a restless manner
From this reading “"You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.”
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading “"Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.”
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading “Name your terms."”
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading “"Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.”
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.
In this reading “"You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.”
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 "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
make a compromise; arrive at a compromise
From this reading However, I shall have to make a compromise with you.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading THE CONFIDENCE GAME.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading THE CONFIDENCE GAME.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, I shall have to make a compromise with you.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
engage in
From this reading However, I shall have to make a compromise with you.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
in motion
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Name your terms."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
in a restless manner
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading However, I shall have to make a compromise with you.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading Name your terms."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CONFIDENCE GAME.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
United States classical archaeologist (born in Canada) noted for leading the excavation of the Athenian agora (1906-2000)
From this reading "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading However, I shall have to make a compromise with you.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
in the company of; together with
From this reading However, I shall have to make a compromise with you.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You never were a good man," said Mrs. Smithers, looking down at the floor and moving her foot restlessly, "but I didn't think you would have become so bad as you have.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now you're talking," answered Thompson, with a smile of satisfaction.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Name your terms."
Chapter 6 of The fool of the family by Bracebridge Hemyng holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 118 sentences of The fool of the family, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The fool of the family by Bracebridge Hemyng exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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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About 258 minutes of reading across 620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Choose one of the 22 chapters of The fool of the family 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 fool of the family, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
