Chapter 6 of The Master Craftsman is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Master Craftsman is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FAMILY HOUSE. The old house proved to be even older than it looked. ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels. I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house. That was in the time of James the Second.
Chapter 6 of The Master Craftsman is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading “‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.”
a social unit living together
From this reading “THE FAMILY HOUSE.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “That was in the time of James the Second.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “The old house proved to be even older than it looked.”
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading “‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.”
established beyond doubt
From this reading “The old house proved to be even older than it looked.”
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “That was in the time of James the Second.”
the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
From this reading “I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.”
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 “‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.”
In this reading “The old house proved to be even older than it looked.”
In this reading “I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.”
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 I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
divisible by two
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
a social unit living together
From this reading THE FAMILY HOUSE.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading THE FAMILY HOUSE.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That was in the time of James the Second.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading That was in the time of James the Second.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
(law) someone who owns (is legal possessor of) a business
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
established beyond doubt
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading That was in the time of James the Second.
the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was in the time of James the Second.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FAMILY HOUSE.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading That was in the time of James the Second.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old house proved to be even older than it looked.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘It was built,’ said the present owner, ‘by the first of the Wapping Burnikels.
at the time that
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
in or at the place that
From this reading I don’t know where he came from; but he was already a man of substance when he built this house.
Chapter 6 of The Master Craftsman by Walter Besant holds 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 257 sentences of The Master Craftsman, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Master Craftsman by Walter Besant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Master Craftsman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Master Craftsman 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 Master Craftsman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
