Chapter 6 of The Half-Back is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Half-Back is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PRACTICE GAME. "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations. Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair. It was a dull and cold afternoon. The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
Chapter 6 of The Half-Back is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
British statesman who became prime minister in 1997 (born in 1953)
From this reading “Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.”
plural of “formation” — an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit
From this reading “"First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.”
a cooking utensil of parallel metal bars; used to grill fish or meat
From this reading “The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.”
advancing as if in the child's game, by leaping over obstacles or competitors
From this reading “The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.”
written matter that is recited from memory
From this reading “The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.”
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading “"First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.”
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading “The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.”
English clergyman and brother of John Wesley who wrote many hymns (1707-1788)
From this reading “Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.”
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 It was a dull and cold afternoon.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading It was a dull and cold afternoon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.
British statesman who became prime minister in 1997 (born in 1953)
From this reading Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading It was a dull and cold afternoon.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading It was a dull and cold afternoon.
being one more than ten
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
plural of “formation” — an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading THE PRACTICE GAME.
a cooking utensil of parallel metal bars; used to grill fish or meat
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a dull and cold afternoon.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
drive or propel with the foot
From this reading Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.
immediately past
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
advancing as if in the child's game, by leaping over obstacles or competitors
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
above and across; more than
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading THE PRACTICE GAME.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
written matter that is recited from memory
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
an educational institution
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading "First and second Eleven rushes and quarters down the field and practice formations.
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PRACTICE GAME.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading The last recitation was over and half the school stood shivering about the gridiron or played leapfrog to keep warm.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a dull and cold afternoon.
English clergyman and brother of John Wesley who wrote many hymns (1707-1788)
From this reading Backs remain here to kick!" shouted Wesley Blair.
Chapter 6 of The Half-Back by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 135 sentences of The Half-Back, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Half-Back by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 Half-Back by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3827 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 318 minutes of reading across 766 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Half-Back section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Half-Back 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 Half-Back, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
