Chapter 6 of The Letter of the Contract is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Letter of the Contract is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Stop!" Her little figure became erect. Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars. "Stop, Chip." "Why?"
Chapter 6 of The Letter of the Contract is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
From this reading “"Stop, Chip."”
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading “Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.”
construct, build, or erect
From this reading “Her little figure became erect.”
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading “Her little figure became erect.”
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.”
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “"Stop!"”
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading “Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Her little figure became erect.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
a small fragment of something broken off from the whole
From this reading "Stop, Chip."
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
construct, build, or erect
From this reading Her little figure became erect.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Her little figure became erect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her little figure became erect.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Her little figure became erect.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading "Stop!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why?"
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Her eyes, which up to the present he had been comparing to forget-me-nots, as he used to do, now shone like blue-fired winter stars.
Chapter 6 of The Letter of the Contract by Basil King holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 395 sentences of The Letter of the Contract, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Letter of the Contract by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Letter of the Contract by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2791 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20443, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 232 minutes of reading across 559 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Letter of the Contract section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Letter of the Contract 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 Letter of the Contract, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
