Chapter 6 of The Marrow of Tradition is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Marrow of Tradition is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Give me the lines," he whispered. "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted." Delamere prudently yielded the reins. He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering. He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
Chapter 6 of The Marrow of Tradition is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 pauper who lives by begging
From this reading “He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.”
characterized by expression
From this reading “He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.”
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading “He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.”
in a prudent manner
From this reading “Delamere prudently yielded the reins.”
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading “Delamere prudently yielded the reins.”
expressive of contempt
From this reading “He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.”
subject to change or variation
From this reading “"Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."”
past form of “yield” — be the cause or source of
From this reading “Delamere prudently yielded the reins.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
any thing at all
From this reading He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
a pauper who lives by begging
From this reading He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Delamere prudently yielded the reins.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
characterized by expression
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "Give me the lines," he whispered.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Give me the lines," he whispered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
set afire or burning
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading "Give me the lines," he whispered.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Give me the lines," he whispered.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
in a prudent manner
From this reading Delamere prudently yielded the reins.
on the contrary
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse
From this reading Delamere prudently yielded the reins.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
expressive of contempt
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
a state of acute pain
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Give me the lines," he whispered.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
subject to change or variation
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "Give me the lines," he whispered.
which person or people
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He did not like Ellis's tone, which seemed sneering rather than expressive of sympathy with one who had been suffering.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading He wondered if the beggar knew anything about his illness.
past form of “yield” — be the cause or source of
From this reading Delamere prudently yielded the reins.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your nerves are unsteady and the road is not well lighted."
Chapter 6 of The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of The Marrow of Tradition, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. (Charles Waddell) Chesnutt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4550 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11228 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11228, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 379 minutes of reading across 910 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Marrow of Tradition section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Marrow of Tradition 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 Marrow of Tradition, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
