Chapter 6 of The Impossibles is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Impossibles is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet." "That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said. "In the best traditions of the FBI." "I can't help it," Malone said. "It's true."
Chapter 6 of The Impossibles is here in full — 421 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “"Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."”
react verbally
From this reading “"That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.”
a federal law enforcement agency that is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Justice
From this reading “"In the best traditions of the FBI."”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “"I can't help it," Malone said.”
providing assistance or serving a useful function
From this reading “"That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.”
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading “"Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “"That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.”
plural of “tradition” — an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading “"In the best traditions of the FBI."”
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 "That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."
react verbally
From this reading "That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading "In the best traditions of the FBI."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't help it," Malone said.
a federal law enforcement agency that is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Justice
From this reading "In the best traditions of the FBI."
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "I can't help it," Malone said.
providing assistance or serving a useful function
From this reading "That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't help it," Malone said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In the best traditions of the FBI."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I can't help it," Malone said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's true."
English scholar remembered for his chronology of Shakespeare's plays and his editions of Shakespeare and Dryden (1741-1812)
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "In the best traditions of the FBI."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's a nice helpful answer," Boyd said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "In the best traditions of the FBI."
plural of “tradition” — an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading "In the best traditions of the FBI."
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "It's true."
(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 "Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."
but in spite of that
From this reading "Well," Malone said, "I'm not absolutely sure yet."
Chapter 6 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett holds 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 421 sentences of The Impossibles, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Impossibles by Randall Garrett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 421 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 Impossibles by Randall Garrett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Impossibles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Impossibles 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 Impossibles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
