Chapter 6 of The Job: An American Novel is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Job: An American Novel is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad. Kind of. But maybe he'll become good." So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning. She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
Chapter 6 of The Job: An American Novel is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading “She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.”
covered with a layer of dust
From this reading “She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.”
by chance
From this reading “But maybe he'll become good."”
past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.”
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading “So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.”
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.”
an electric railway operating below the surface of the ground (usually in a city)
From this reading “So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “"I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.”
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 never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
anew
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
(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 She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading But maybe he'll become good."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But maybe he'll become good."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
covered with a layer of dust
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
a young female
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading But maybe he'll become good."
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But maybe he'll become good."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Kind of.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
by chance
From this reading But maybe he'll become good."
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Kind of.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
an electric railway operating below the surface of the ground (usually in a city)
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading So Una simple-heartedly reflected on her way to the Subway next morning.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
which person or people
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I never thought a nice girl could be in love with a man who is bad, and I s'pose Walter is bad.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She could not picture what he would do, now that it was hard, dry day again, and all the world panted through dusty streets.
Chapter 6 of The Job: An American Novel by Sinclair Lewis holds 277 sentences, grouped into 56 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 277 sentences of The Job: An American Novel, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Job: An American Novel by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 277 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 Job: An American Novel by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4809 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25474 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25474, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 400 minutes of reading across 962 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Job: An American Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Job: An American Novel 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 Job: An American Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
