Chapter 6 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 2 is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 2 is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat. “The master’s poorly, sir,” he murmured. “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in. He’s still in the diningroom.” Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
Chapter 6 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 2 is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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 manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading “The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.”
the act of closing something
From this reading “The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.”
past form of “detain” — deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading “The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.”
in a softened tone
From this reading “Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.”
possessive form of “master” — an artist of consummate skill
a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
From this reading “The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.”
(“ill” is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
From this reading ““The master’s poorly, sir,” he murmured.”
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading “Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.”
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.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in.
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in.
the act of closing something
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
past form of “detain” — deprive of freedom; take into confinement
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s still in the diningroom.”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “The master’s poorly, sir,” he murmured.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s still in the diningroom.”
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
in a softened tone
From this reading Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in.
located inward
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
possessive form of “master” — an artist of consummate skill
From this reading “The master’s poorly, sir,” he murmured.
a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “The master’s poorly, sir,” he murmured.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
(“ill” is often used as a combining form) in a poor or improper or unsatisfactory manner; not well
From this reading “The master’s poorly, sir,” he murmured.
past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something
From this reading Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
term of address for a man
From this reading “The master’s poorly, sir,” he murmured.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
with low volume
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
not in physical motion
From this reading He’s still in the diningroom.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The butler himself opened the door, and closing it softly, detained Soames on the inner mat.
up to a particular time
From this reading “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Soames responded in the hushed tone to which the house was now accustomed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “He wouldn’t go to bed till you came in.
Chapter 6 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 2 by John Galsworthy holds 180 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 180 sentences of The Forsyte saga, Volume 2, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Forsyte saga, Volume 2 by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Forsyte saga, Volume 2 by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8090 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2594 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2594, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1618 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Forsyte saga, Volume 2 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Forsyte saga, Volume 2 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 Forsyte saga, Volume 2, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
