Chapter 6 of The Loom of Youth is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Loom of Youth is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done." Ferguson sat up in his chair. Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up. "Oh, I don't know. Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
Chapter 6 of The Loom of Youth is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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 “cloister” — residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)
From this reading “Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.”
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading “Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.”
leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together
From this reading “Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “"Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.”
not tense or taut
From this reading “"Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."”
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading “Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.”
the base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled
From this reading “Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.”
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 Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
in the past
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Ferguson sat up in his chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
plural of “cloister” — residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
English writer noted for early detective novels (1824-1889)
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, I don't know.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
the act of acquiring something
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ferguson sat up in his chair.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, I don't know.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ferguson sat up in his chair.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Oh, I don't know.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I don't know.
and nothing more
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
one of four equal parts
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Ferguson sat up in his chair.
not tense or taut
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
the base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
in or at that place or location
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
ancient Greek historian remembered for his history of the Peloponnesian War (460-395 BC)
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Ferguson, the House is getting jolly slack; something's got to be done."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Ferguson sat up in his chair.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading Clarke had been quiet nearly the whole of hall; there was obviously something up.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, only a quarter of an hour ago I came across Collins and Brown playing stump cricket in the cloisters instead of studying Thucydides.
Chapter 6 of The Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 220 sentences of The Loom of Youth, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7309 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1462 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Loom of Youth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Loom of Youth 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 Loom of Youth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
