Chapter 4 of The happy six is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The happy six is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WHO WAS THE THIEF? Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time. He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry. “Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house. “Stir around lively.
Chapter 4 of The happy six is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
an expression of greeting
From this reading ““Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house.”
full of life and energy
From this reading ““Stir around lively.”
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading “He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.”
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
From this reading “He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.”
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading “He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.”
Scottish sailor who was put ashore on a deserted island off the coast of Chile for five years (providing the basis for Daniel Defoe's novel about Robinson Crusoe) (1676-1721)
From this reading ““Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house.”
move an implement through
From this reading ““Stir around lively.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “WHO WAS THE THIEF?”
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 “He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.”
express the need or desire for
In this reading “Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.”
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 He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading “Stir around lively.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
full of life and energy
From this reading “Stir around lively.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
a form of address for a man
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Paul called for Kirke on the following Saturday, long before breakfast-time.
Scottish sailor who was put ashore on a deserted island off the coast of Chile for five years (providing the basis for Daniel Defoe's novel about Robinson Crusoe) (1676-1721)
From this reading “Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house.
move an implement through
From this reading “Stir around lively.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHO WAS THE THIEF?
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading WHO WAS THE THIEF?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Hello, Selkirk!” he shouted to the side of the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading He had driven in from the ranch in Mr. Keith’s two-seated wagon, drawn by a pair of little brown mules, and was evidently in a prodigious hurry.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WHO WAS THE THIEF?
which person or people
From this reading WHO WAS THE THIEF?
Chapter 4 of The happy six by Penn Shirley holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 4 holds 146 sentences of The happy six, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The happy six by Penn Shirley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 4 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 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The happy six, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
