The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

Having no religion, he was, as usual in such cases, very superstitious; believing that the dead Countess might exercise a malignant influence on his life, he thought to appease her spirit by attending her funeral.

The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess. He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin. Having no religion, he was, as usual in such cases, very superstitious; believing that the dead Countess might exercise a malignant influence on his life, he thought to appease her spirit by attending her funeral. The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in. The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

/θriː deɪz ˈæftər ðɪs ˈfeɪtəl naɪt æt naɪn əˈklɑːk ɪn ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ ˈhɜːrmən ˈentərd ðə ˈkɑːnvənt wer ðə læst rɪˈspekts wɜːr tuː biː peɪd tuː ðə ˈmɔːrtəl rɪˈmeɪnz ʌv ðə oʊld ˈkaʊntəs/

Line 2

He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

/hiː felt noʊ rɪˈmɔːrs ðoʊ hiː kʊd nɑːt dɪˈnaɪ tuː hɪmˈself ðæt hiː wɑːz ðə puːr ˈwʊmənz əˈsæsən/

Line 3

/ˈhævɪŋ noʊ rɪˈlɪdʒən hiː wɑːz æz ˈjuːʒəwəl ɪn sʌtʃ ˈkeɪsəz ˈveri ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs bɪˈliːvɪŋ ðæt ðə ded ˈkaʊntəs maɪt ˈeksərsaɪz ə məˈlɪɡnənt ˈɪnfluːəns ɑːn hɪz laɪf hiː θɔːt tuː əˈpiːz hɜːr ˈspɪrət baɪ əˈtendɪŋ hɜːr ˈfjuːnərəl/

Line 4

The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

/ðə tʃɜːrtʃ wɑːz fʊl ʌv ˈpiːpəl ənd ɪt wɑːz ˈdɪfəkəlt tuː ɡet ɪn/

Line 5

The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

Learner Dictionary

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.

appease verb US /əˈpiːz/

cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

From this reading “Having no religion, he was, as usual in such cases, very superstitious; believing that the dead Countess might exercise a malignant influence on his life, he thought to appease her spirit by attending her funeral.”

assassin noun US /əˈsæsən/

a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed

From this reading “He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.”

attending noun US /əˈtendɪŋ/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

canopy noun US /ˈkæn.ə.pi/

An overhead roof or structure, such as the high vaulted ceiling of an ancient library.

From this reading “The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.”

Hermann noun US /ˈhɜːrmən/

German hero; leader at the battle of Teutoburger Wald in AD 9 (circa 18 BC - AD 19)

From this reading “Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.”

malignant adjective US /məˈlɪɡnənt/

dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor)

remorse noun US /rɪˈmɔːrs/

a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)

From this reading “He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.”

superstitious adjective US /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs/

showing ignorance of the laws of nature and faith in magic or chance

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

mortal remains adjective + noun

In this reading “Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.”

Three days noun + noun

In this reading “Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.”

entered the convent verb + article + noun counted as “enter … convent”

In this reading “Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.”

poor woman's adjective + noun counted as “poor woman”

In this reading “He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.”

fatal night adjective + noun

In this reading “Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.”

at nine preposition + noun

In this reading “Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.”

in the morning preposition + article + noun counted as “in … morning”

In this reading “Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.”

All words in this reading · 82

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Having no religion, he was, as usual in such cases, very superstitious; believing that the dead Countess might exercise a malignant influence on his life, he thought to appease her spirit by attending her funeral.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

appeaseverbUS /əˈpiːz/

cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

assassinnounUS /əˈsæsən/

a murderer (especially one who kills a prominent political figure) who kills by a surprise attack and often is hired to do the deed

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

attendingnounUS /əˈtendɪŋ/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

believingnounUS /bɪˈliːvɪŋ/

the cognitive process that leads to convictions

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/

the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

canopynounUS /ˈkæn.ə.pi/

An overhead roof or structure, such as the high vaulted ceiling of an ancient library.

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

casesnounUS /ˈkeɪsəz/

plural of “case” — an occurrence of something

catafalquenoun

a decorated bier on which a coffin rests in state during a funeral

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

conventnounUS /ˈkɑːnvənt/

a religious residence especially for nuns

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

CountessnounUS /ˈkaʊntəs/

female equivalent of a count or earl

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

denyverbUS /dɪˈnaɪ/

declare untrue; contradict

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

difficultadjectiveUS /ˈdɪfəkəlt/

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

exercisenounUS /ˈeksərsaɪz/

the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit

fataladjectiveUS /ˈfeɪtəl/

bringing death

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

funeralnounUS /ˈfjuːnərəl/

a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

Havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

HermannnounUS /ˈhɜːrmən/

German hero; leader at the battle of Teutoburger Wald in AD 9 (circa 18 BC - AD 19)

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

influencenounUS /ˈɪnfluːəns/

a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

malignantadjectiveUS /məˈlɪɡnənt/

dangerous to health; characterized by progressive and uncontrolled growth (especially of a tumor)

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

mortaladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrtəl/

subject to death

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

ninenounUS /naɪn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

paidadjectiveUS /peɪd/

marked by the reception of pay

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading The church was full of people, and it was difficult to get in.

placedadjectiveUS /pleɪst/

situated in a particular spot or position

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

religionnounUS /rɪˈlɪdʒən/

a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny

remainsnounUS /rɪˈmeɪnz/

any object that is left unused or still extant

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

remorsenounUS /rɪˈmɔːrs/

a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

respectsnounUS /rɪˈspekts/

(often used with “pay”) a formal expression of esteem

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

richadjectiveUS /rɪtʃ/

possessing material wealth

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

superstitiousadjectiveUS /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs/

showing ignorance of the laws of nature and faith in magic or chance

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

ThreenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/

occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure

velvetnounUS /ˈvelvət/

a silky densely piled fabric with a plain back

From this reading The body had been placed on a rich catafalque, beneath a canopy of velvet.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Three days after this fatal night, at nine o'clock in the morning, Hermann entered the convent where the last respects were to be paid to the mortal remains of the old Countess.

woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/

possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading He felt no remorse, though he could not deny to himself that he was the poor woman's assassin.

Chapter 6 of The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

What does chapter 6 of The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories contain?

Chapter 6 holds 53 sentences of The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The Queen of Spades, and Other Stories by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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.

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Chapter VI

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