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The Furnace
The Furnace

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Furnace is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'
MAETERLINCK.
There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.
So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.
Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Furnace

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Furnace is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'
Line 2
MAETERLINCK.
Line 3
There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.
Line 4
So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.
/soʊ ˈʃæloʊ ɑːr ðə steps ðæt juː ˈhɑːrdli ˈnoʊtəs iːtʃ æz juː teɪk ɪt/
Line 5
Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

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.

ascending adjective US /əˈsendɪŋ/

moving or going or growing upward

From this reading “Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.”

assisted adjective US /əˈsɪstɪd/

having help; often used as a combining form

From this reading “There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.”

climbing noun US /ˈklaɪmɪŋ/

an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)

From this reading “Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.”

des noun US /des/

a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry

From this reading “GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'”

Les noun US /les/

plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading “GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'”

perceive verb US /pərˈsiːv/

to become aware of through the senses

From this reading “Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.”

shallow adjective US /ˈʃæloʊ/

lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center

From this reading “There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.”

tour noun US /tʊr/

a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area

From this reading “GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'”

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.

de la noun + noun

In this reading “GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'”

climb up verb + adjective

go upward with gradual or continuous progress

In this reading “There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.”

arrive at verb + particle

reach a destination, either real or abstract

In this reading “Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.”

at intervals preposition + noun counted as “at interval”

In this reading “There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.”

steep streets adjective + noun counted as “steep street”

In this reading “There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.”

at the top preposition + article + noun counted as “at … top”

In this reading “Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.”

look down verb + adjective

In this reading “Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.”

old town adjective + noun

In this reading “There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

arriveverbUS /ərˈaɪv/

reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

ascendingadjectiveUS /əˈsendɪŋ/

moving or going or growing upward

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

assistedadjectiveUS /əˈsɪstɪd/

having help; often used as a combining form

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

attendre

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

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

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

clefs

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

climbverbUS /klaɪm/

go upward with gradual or continuous progress

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

climbingnounUS /ˈklaɪmɪŋ/

an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

d'autres

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

desnounUS /des/

a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

faut

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

GRADONI

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

how

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

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

IlnounUS /ɪl/

a midwestern state in north-central United States

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

intervalsnounUS /ˈɪntərvəlz/

plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

jours

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

lanounUS /lɑː/

a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

LesnounUS /les/

plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

MAETERLINCKnoun

Belgian playwright (1862-1949)

From this reading MAETERLINCK.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

noticenounUS /ˈnoʊtəs/

an announcement containing information about an event

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

perceiveverbUS /pərˈsiːv/

to become aware of through the senses

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

perdues

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

portes

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

shallowadjectiveUS /ˈʃæloʊ/

lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

slopenounUS /sloʊp/

an elevated geological formation

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

sont

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

steepadjectiveUS /stiːp/

having a sharp inclination

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

stepsnounUS /steps/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

streetsnounUS /striːts/

plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

tombees

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

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

topnounUS /tɑːp/

the upper part of anything

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

tournounUS /tʊr/

a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area

From this reading GRADONI 'Les clefs des portes sont perdues, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Les clefs sont tombees de la tour, Il faut attendre, il faut attendre, Il faut attendre d'autres jours....'

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Not until you arrive at the top and look down on the ascending way do you perceive how its climbing was assisted.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading There are steep streets called _gradoni_, which climb up from the old town below to the new town above; their slope is assisted by shallow steps at intervals.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading So shallow are the steps that you hardly notice each as you take it.

Chapter 6 of The Furnace by Rose Macaulay holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 Furnace contain?

Chapter 6 holds 215 sentences of The Furnace, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The Furnace by Rose Macaulay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 Furnace?

Work through the 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 43 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 Furnace

Common questions about reading The Furnace by Rose Macaulay on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Furnace?

Yes. All 2433 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33482 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Furnace is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33482, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Furnace take to read?

About 202 minutes of reading across 487 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Furnace section by section

How to work through The Furnace section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Furnace to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Furnace

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

Other
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Furnace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Citizens
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Furnace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Santa
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Furnace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Caterina
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Furnace; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.