Chapter 6 of The Life of Nancy is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Life of Nancy is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze. The captain sighed. "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away. "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is. I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
Chapter 6 of The Life of Nancy is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading “She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.”
a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
From this reading “I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."”
the act of departing politely
From this reading “"We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."”
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.”
cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
From this reading “She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “The captain sighed.”
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading “She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.”
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.
a youthful female person
In this reading “"I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.”
retrace one's course
In this reading “She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
From this reading I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading The captain sighed.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
a quad with a square body
From this reading I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
in a joyous manner
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
a young female
From this reading "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
and nothing more
From this reading I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
the act of departing politely
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I hope she'll please 'em just as well in Canada."
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The captain sighed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
(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 "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "We shall miss her, but she doesn't know what parting is.
at the time that
From this reading She did not turn back, but when she was half-way home she began to run, and the new shawl was given gayly to the breeze.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish the little girl well," he said, and turned away.
Chapter 6 of The Life of Nancy by Sarah Orne Jewett holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of The Life of Nancy, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Life of Nancy by Sarah Orne Jewett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Life of Nancy by Sarah Orne Jewett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3343 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31473 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31473, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 278 minutes of reading across 669 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Life of Nancy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Life of Nancy 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 Life of Nancy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
