Chapter 6 of The Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS. “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished. “Who’s dead? who’s married?” “Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie. “All are first-rate on the island.
Chapter 6 of The Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading ““What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.”
of the highest quality
From this reading ““All are first-rate on the island.”
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading “TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS.”
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading ““Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.”
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading ““What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS.”
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading ““What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS.”
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 a lengthy or prolix manner
In this reading ““What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.”
In this reading ““Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.”
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.
(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 “Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “Who’s dead? who’s married?”
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
of the highest quality
From this reading “All are first-rate on the island.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading “Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
joined in matrimony
From this reading “Who’s dead? who’s married?”
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
information about recent and important events
From this reading TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TELLING AND HEARING THE NEWS.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Are all well on the island?” interposed Charlie.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
at the time that
From this reading “What’s the news, father?” asked John, when the protracted meal was at length finished.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Who’s dead? who’s married?”
Chapter 6 of The Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island by Elijah Kellogg holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 123 sentences of The Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island by Elijah Kellogg exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island by Elijah Kellogg on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54767 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54767, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 274 minutes of reading across 660 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island 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 Hard-Scrabble of Elm Island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
