Chapter 6 of The Long Trick is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Long Trick is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts. He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care. "You're right," he said. "You've put your finger on the weak spot. No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.
Chapter 6 of The Long Trick is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
plural of “chart” — a visual display of information
From this reading “UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.”
plural of “drawing” — an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading “UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.”
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading “He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.”
plural of “seaman” — a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading “No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.”
chosen in preference to another
From this reading “He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.”
covered or furnished with tiles
From this reading “He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.”
a wide street in London stretching from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament; site of many government offices
From this reading “No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.”
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 UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
an occurrence of something
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
plural of “chart” — a visual display of information
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
plural of “drawing” — an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading "You've put your finger on the weak spot.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
provided with artificial light
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
not any; not one
From this reading No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
sharply exact or accurate or delimited
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading "You've put your finger on the weak spot.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "You're right," he said.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You're right," he said.
cut with a saw
From this reading No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.
plural of “seaman” — a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.
chosen in preference to another
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
term of address for a man
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "You've put your finger on the weak spot.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
covered or furnished with tiles
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading "You've put your finger on the weak spot.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
a wide street in London stretching from Trafalgar Square to the Houses of Parliament; site of many government offices
From this reading No one in Whitehall saw it, and they're seamen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNCLE BILL Sir William Thorogood rose from the table on which lay a confusion of papers, drawings and charts.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He walked across the cabin to the tiled fireplace, selected a cigar from his case, and lit it with precise care.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're right," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've put your finger on the weak spot.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You've put your finger on the weak spot.
Chapter 6 of The Long Trick by Bartimeus holds 356 sentences, grouped into 72 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 356 sentences of The Long Trick, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Long Trick by Bartimeus exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 356 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Long Trick by Bartimeus on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4150 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25921 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25921, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 830 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Long Trick section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Long Trick 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 Long Trick, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
