Chapter 6 of The happy tree is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The happy tree is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready. It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all. And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met. His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles. I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
Chapter 6 of The happy tree is here in full — 374 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/74 · 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.
to come to rest, settle
From this reading “His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.”
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading “It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.”
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading “His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.”
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading “I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.”
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading “His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.”
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 “His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.”
seek information from
In this reading “And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.”
In this reading “I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.”
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.
to come to rest, settle
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
any thing at all
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
opinion or judgment
From this reading And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
express in words
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It was as though I was paralysed and struck dumb—I could not say anything at all.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And then he looked up suddenly and our eyes met.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I had known this was coming sooner or later, but I was not ready.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His were all alight—those pale blue eyes of his behind the steel spectacles.
at the time that
From this reading I had never seen them like this before, and his voice shook now when he spoke.
Chapter 6 of The happy tree by Rosalind Murray holds 374 sentences, grouped into 75 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 374 sentences of The happy tree, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The happy tree by Rosalind Murray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 374 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 happy tree by Rosalind Murray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74787 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74787, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 517 minutes of reading across 1241 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The happy tree section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The happy tree 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 happy tree, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
