Chapter 6 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 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 Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I have no possessions," he said. "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly. "I have no pockets," said the stranger. Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye. "Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.
Chapter 6 of The Man Who Knew Too Much is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading “"I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “"Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.”
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading “Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.”
in a gruff manner
From this reading “"I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.”
a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading “"Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “"I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.”
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading “"I have no possessions," he said.”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “"Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.”
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 Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
the organ of sight
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
in a gruff manner
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have no possessions," he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I have no possessions," he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have no possessions," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
engage in
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading "Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
not any; not one
From this reading "I have no possessions," he said.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading "I have no possessions," he said.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading "Are you a monk?" he asked, in a puzzled fashion.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I have no possessions," he said.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading "I have no pockets," said the stranger.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mr. Twyford was looking at the long black gown with a learned eye.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'm afraid I must ask you to empty your pockets and make sure," observed the colonel, gruffly.
Chapter 6 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 170 sentences of The Man Who Knew Too Much, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Man Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Who Knew Too Much by G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1720 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1720, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 620 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Man Who Knew Too Much section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Man Who Knew Too Much 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 Who Knew Too Much, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
