Chapter 6 of The Minister's Charge is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Minister's Charge is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly. “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows. But I can't say that he's glib yet. He isn't apparently going to say more than he thinks.” “I hope he thinks more than he says,” sighed the minister.
Chapter 6 of The Minister's Charge is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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 large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading ““I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.”
marked by lack of intellectual depth
From this reading “But I can't say that he's glib yet.”
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading ““I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.”
plural of “meadow” — a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading ““I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.”
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading ““I hope he thinks more than he says,” sighed the minister.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading ““I hope he thinks more than he says,” sighed the minister.”
gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease
From this reading ““I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.”
mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
From this reading ““I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.”
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 believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
from appearances alone
From this reading He isn't apparently going to say more than he thinks.”
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
a large smooth mass of rock detached from its place of origin
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I can't say that he's glib yet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I can't say that he's glib yet.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
with delight
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
marked by lack of intellectual depth
From this reading But I can't say that he's glib yet.
the act of departing
From this reading He isn't apparently going to say more than he thinks.”
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He isn't apparently going to say more than he thinks.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I can't say that he's glib yet.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “I hope he thinks more than he says,” sighed the minister.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He isn't apparently going to say more than he thinks.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
plural of “meadow” — a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading “I hope he thinks more than he says,” sighed the minister.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
express in words
From this reading But I can't say that he's glib yet.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “I hope he thinks more than he says,” sighed the minister.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “I hope he thinks more than he says,” sighed the minister.
gracefully thin and bending and moving with ease
From this reading “I believe Lemuel _is_ a little more supple, a little _less_ like a granite boulder in one of his meadows.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He isn't apparently going to say more than he thinks.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But I can't say that he's glib yet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I hope he thinks more than he says,” sighed the minister.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading He isn't apparently going to say more than he thinks.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He isn't apparently going to say more than he thinks.”
mechanical device attached to an elevated structure; rotates freely to show the direction of the wind
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
but in spite of that
From this reading But I can't say that he's glib yet.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I know what you mean!” cried Miss Vane delightedly.
Chapter 6 of The Minister's Charge by William Dean Howells holds 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 383 sentences of The Minister's Charge, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Minister's Charge by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 Minister's Charge by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6418 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7410 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7410, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 534 minutes of reading across 1284 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Minister's Charge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Minister's Charge 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 Minister's Charge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
