Chapter 6 of The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage. "Try an 'automaton,'" said the shopman. "What's an 'automaton'?" said I. "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm. "It opens and shuts itself."
Chapter 6 of The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.”
the thing arranged or agreed to
From this reading “"Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.”
someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
From this reading “"Try an 'automaton,'" said the shopman.”
a feeling of excitement
From this reading “"Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.”
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading “"It opens and shuts itself."”
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading “I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.”
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading “I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.”
third-person singular of “shut” — move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “"It opens and shuts itself."”
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 I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Try an 'automaton,'" said the shopman.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
the thing arranged or agreed to
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
someone who acts or responds in a mechanical or apathetic way
From this reading "Try an 'automaton,'" said the shopman.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
a feeling of excitement
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It opens and shuts itself."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
plural of “open” — a clear or unobstructed space or expanse of land or water
From this reading "It opens and shuts itself."
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Try an 'automaton,'" said the shopman.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
third-person singular of “shut” — move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading "It opens and shuts itself."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "Try an 'automaton,'" said the shopman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's an 'automaton'?" said I.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Oh, it's a beautiful arrangement," replied the man, with a touch of enthusiasm.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I said I should like one that would keep the rain off, and that would not allow itself to be left behind in a railway carriage.
Chapter 6 of The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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.
Chapter 6 holds 168 sentences of The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka) Jerome on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2016 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #849 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #849, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 168 minutes of reading across 404 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow 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 Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
