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The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel
The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.
In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.
When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.
When she felt happy she would demand the reason of herself.
"Over what are you happy?" she would ask herself.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.
Line 2
In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.
Line 3
When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.
/wen ʃiː woʊk ɪn ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ ənd stretʃt hərˈself ɪn bed bɪˈfɔːr ˈɡetɪŋ ʌp ʃiː wʊd æsk hərˈself wʌt ɡʊd θɪŋ ʃiː kʊd ɪkˈspekt ðæt deɪ tuː brɪŋ hɜːr/
Line 4
When she felt happy she would demand the reason of herself.
/wen ʃiː felt ˈhæpi ʃiː wʊd dɪˈmænd ðə ˈriːzən ʌv hərˈself/
Line 5
"Over what are you happy?" she would ask herself.
/ˈoʊvər wʌt ɑːr juː ˈhæpi ʃiː wʊd æsk hərˈself/

Learner Dictionary

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.

April noun US /ˈeɪprəl/

the month following March and preceding May

From this reading “APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.”

april's noun US /ˈeɪprəlz/

possessive form of “april” — the month following March and preceding May

From this reading “APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.”

demand noun US /dɪˈmænd/

an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading “When she felt happy she would demand the reason of herself.”

disastrous adjective US /dɪˈzæstrəs/

(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin

From this reading “In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.”

stretched adjective US /stretʃt/

(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching

From this reading “When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.”

term noun US /tɜːrm/

a word or expression used for some particular thing

From this reading “APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.”

void adjective US /vɔɪd/

lacking any legal or binding force

From this reading “In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.”

woke verb US /woʊk/

inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there

From this reading “When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

In spite preposition + noun

In this reading “In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.”

good thing adjective + noun

In this reading “When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.”

in the morning preposition + article + noun counted as “in … morning”

In this reading “When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.”

in bed preposition + noun

In this reading “When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

AprilnounUS /ˈeɪprəl/

the month following March and preceding May

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

APRIL'SnounUS /ˈeɪprəlz/

possessive form of “april” — the month following March and preceding May

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "Over what are you happy?" she would ask herself.

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

ballnounUS /bɔːl/

round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

demandnounUS /dɪˈmænd/

an urgent or peremptory request

From this reading When she felt happy she would demand the reason of herself.

disastrousadjectiveUS /dɪˈzæstrəs/

(of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

excitementnounUS /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/

the feeling of lively and cheerful joy

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

expectverbUS /ɪkˈspekt/

regard something as probable or likely

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading When she felt happy she would demand the reason of herself.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

gettingnounUS /ˈɡetɪŋ/

the act of acquiring something

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading When she felt happy she would demand the reason of herself.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

leftnounUS /left/

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 In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

LOOKING-GLASS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

OverprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading "Over what are you happy?" she would ask herself.

passingnounUS /ˈpæsɪŋ/

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

reasonnounUS /ˈriːzən/

a rational motive for a belief or action

From this reading When she felt happy she would demand the reason of herself.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

Roland

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

Roland's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

schoolnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

slowadjectiveUS /sloʊ/

not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

spitenounUS /spaɪt/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

stretchedadjectiveUS /stretʃt/

(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

termnounUS /tɜːrm/

a word or expression used for some particular thing

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

voidadjectiveUS /vɔɪd/

lacking any legal or binding force

From this reading In spite of the disastrous evening at the ball, Roland's return to school left a void in her life.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading APRIL'S LOOKING-GLASS For April the term which brought Roland so much excitement was slow in passing.

wokeverbUS /woʊk/

inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading When she woke in the morning and stretched herself in bed before getting up she would ask herself what good thing she could expect that day to bring her.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Over what are you happy?" she would ask herself.

Chapter 6 of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel by Alec Waugh holds 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

What does chapter 6 of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel contain?

Chapter 6 holds 161 sentences of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel by Alec Waugh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

How do I study chapter 6 of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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.

Can chapter 6 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel

Common questions about reading The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel by Alec Waugh on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel?

Yes. All 6172 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43952 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #43952, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel take to read?

About 514 minutes of reading across 1235 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel section by section

How to work through The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Began
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Suppose
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Certain
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
September
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Lonely Unicorn: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.