Chapter 6 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table. "But please smoke yourself, if you want to." "And what did Mr. Strongley say?" asked the man. "Nothing." She stared at the fire with a little frown.
Chapter 6 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “"No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.”
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading “"No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.”
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “She stared at the fire with a little frown.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “"But please smoke yourself, if you want to."”
past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading “"No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.”
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading “"But please smoke yourself, if you want to."”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “She stared at the fire with a little frown.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “"No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.”
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 this reading “She stared at the fire with a little frown.”
able to be negotiated or arranged by compromise
In this reading “"No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.”
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 She stared at the fire with a little frown.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "And what did Mr. Strongley say?" asked the man.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She stared at the fire with a little frown.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But please smoke yourself, if you want to."
in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "And what did Mr. Strongley say?" asked the man.
start firing a weapon
From this reading She stared at the fire with a little frown.
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading She stared at the fire with a little frown.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "But please smoke yourself, if you want to."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She stared at the fire with a little frown.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "And what did Mr. Strongley say?" asked the man.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "And what did Mr. Strongley say?" asked the man.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "But please smoke yourself, if you want to."
past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
express in words
From this reading "And what did Mr. Strongley say?" asked the man.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading "But please smoke yourself, if you want to."
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading She stared at the fire with a little frown.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And what did Mr. Strongley say?" asked the man.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "But please smoke yourself, if you want to."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "But please smoke yourself, if you want to."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "And what did Mr. Strongley say?" asked the man.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She stared at the fire with a little frown.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "No, thank you," she said curtly, and he replaced the box on the table.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "But please smoke yourself, if you want to."
Chapter 6 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 406 sentences of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories by H. C. (Herman Cyril) McNeile on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4866 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 974 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories 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 Man in Ratcatcher, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
