Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Gilded Age, Part 1.
The Gilded Age, Part 1.

Chapter VI · Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of The Gilded Age, Part 1. is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Gilded Age, Part 1.
Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.
Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.
Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.
In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.
From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Gilded Age, Part 1.

Chapter VI · Chapter 6

Chapter 6 of The Gilded Age, Part 1. 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
We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.
/wiː skɪp ten jɪrz ənd ðɪs ˈhɪstəri faɪndz ˈsɜːrtən ˈtʃeɪndʒəz tuː rəˈkɔːrd/
Line 2
Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.
Line 3
Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.
/ˈselərz hæz tuː perz ʌv twɪnz ənd fɔːr ˈekstrəz/
Line 4
In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.
Line 5
From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

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.

chafing noun US /ˈtʃeɪfɪŋ/

soreness or irritation of the skin caused by friction

From this reading “From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.”

discomfort noun US /dɪˈskʌmfərt/

the state of being tense and feeling pain

From this reading “From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.”

extras noun US /ˈekstrəz/

plural of “extra” — a minor actor in crowd scenes

From this reading “Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.”

Hawkins noun US /ˈhɔːkɪnz/

English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)

From this reading “Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.”

pairs noun US /perz/

plural of “pair” — a set of two similar things considered as a unit

From this reading “Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.”

pinched adjective US /pɪntʃt/

sounding as if the nose were pinched

From this reading “Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.”

Sellers noun US /ˈselərz/

English comic actor (1925-1980)

From this reading “Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.”

skip verb US /skɪp/

bypass

From this reading “We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.”

All words in this reading · 69

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.

adoptedadjectiveUS /əˈdɑːptɪd/

acquired as your own by free choice

From this reading In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

benefitnounUS /ˈbenəfɪt/

financial assistance in time of need

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

chafingnounUS /ˈtʃeɪfɪŋ/

soreness or irritation of the skin caused by friction

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

changesnounUS /ˈtʃeɪndʒəz/

plural of “change” — an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.

circumstancesnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəmstænsəz/

your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

Colnoun

a pass between mountain peaks

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

discomfortnounUS /dɪˈskʌmfərt/

the state of being tense and feeling pain

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

eldernounUS /ˈeldər/

a person who is older than you are

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

excellentadjectiveUS /ˈeksələnt/

very good; of the highest quality

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

extrasnounUS /ˈekstrəz/

plural of “extra” — a minor actor in crowd scenes

From this reading Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.

familynounUS /ˈfæməli/

a social unit living together

From this reading In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.

findsnounUS /faɪndz/

plural of “find” — a productive insight

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

fortunesnounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/

plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

HawkinsnounUS /ˈhɔːkɪnz/

English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

Hawkins's

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

From this reading In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.

historynounUS /ˈhɪstəri/

the aggregate of past events

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

JudgeverbUS /dʒʌdʒ/

determine the result of (a competition)

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

LouisnounUS /ˈluːɪs/

United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

luckyadjectiveUS /ˈlʌki/

occurring by chance

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

meantimenounUS /ˈmiːntaɪm/

the time between one event, process, or period and another

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

moderateverbUS /ˈmɑːdərət/

preside over

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.

onesnounUS /wʌnz/

plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

From this reading In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.

pairsnounUS /perz/

plural of “pair” — a set of two similar things considered as a unit

From this reading Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.

pinchedadjectiveUS /pɪntʃt/

sounding as if the nose were pinched

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

povertynounUS /ˈpɑːvərti/

the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

recordnounUS /rəˈkɔːrd/

anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

schoolsnounUS /skuːlz/

plural of “school” — an educational institution

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

seasonsnounUS /ˈsiːzənz/

plural of “season” — a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

SellersnounUS /ˈselərz/

English comic actor (1925-1980)

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

sixnounUS /sɪks/

the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one

From this reading In Hawkins's family are six children of his own and two adopted ones.

skipverbUS /skɪp/

bypass

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

smiledverbUS /smaɪld/

past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

spendingnounUS /ˈspendɪŋ/

the act of spending or disbursing money

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

St

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

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

straightenedverbUS /ˈstreɪtənd/

past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

twinsnounUS /twɪnz/

(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other

From this reading Sellers has two pairs of twins and four extras.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Judge Hawkins and Col. Sellers have made and lost two or three moderate fortunes in the meantime and are now pinched by poverty.

unluckyadjectiveUS /ənˈlʌki/

having or bringing misfortune

From this reading From time to time, as fortune smiled, the elder children got the benefit of it, spending the lucky seasons at excellent schools in St. Louis and the unlucky ones at home in the chafing discomfort of straightened circumstances.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading We skip ten years and this history finds certain changes to record.

Chapter 6 of The Gilded Age, Part 1. by Mark Twain holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

What does chapter 6 of The Gilded Age, Part 1. contain?

Chapter 6 holds 215 sentences of The Gilded Age, Part 1., unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The Gilded Age, Part 1. by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain 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 Gilded Age, Part 1.?

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 Gilded Age, Part 1.

Common questions about reading The Gilded Age, Part 1. by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Gilded Age, Part 1.?

Yes. All 1196 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5818 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Gilded Age, Part 1. is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5818, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Gilded Age, Part 1. take to read?

About 99 minutes of reading across 240 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Gilded Age, Part 1. section by section

How to work through The Gilded Age, Part 1. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Gilded Age, Part 1. 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 Gilded Age, Part 1.

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Gilded Age, Part 1., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Squire
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Gilded Age, Part 1.; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hawkins
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Gilded Age, Part 1.; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pyramid
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Gilded Age, Part 1.; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Large
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Gilded Age, Part 1.; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.