Chapter 6 of The Red Planet is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Red Planet is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg. "Gone?" I echoed. Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure. "By the 8.30 train, sir."
Chapter 6 of The Red Planet is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
the act of departing
From this reading “Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “I echoed.”
animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds
From this reading “"Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.”
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading “"Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.”
any of various tropical American plants of the genus Tagetes widely cultivated for their showy yellow or orange flowers
From this reading “"Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.”
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading “Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.”
characterized by speed; moving with or capable of moving with high speed
From this reading “Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.”
the sound of light blow or knock
From this reading “"Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "By the 8.30 train, sir."
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By the 8.30 train, sir."
the act of departing
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading I echoed.
animal reproductive body consisting of an ovum or embryo together with nutritive and protective envelopes; especially the thin-shelled reproductive body laid by e.g. female birds
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
any of various tropical American plants of the genus Tagetes widely cultivated for their showy yellow or orange flowers
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
not any; not one
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
characterized by speed; moving with or capable of moving with high speed
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
the sound of light blow or knock
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Boyce had made no reference the night before to so speedy a departure.
create by training and teaching
From this reading "By the 8.30 train, sir."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Major Boyce has gone, sir," said Marigold, the next morning, as I was tapping my breakfast egg.
Chapter 6 of The Red Planet by William John Locke holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 232 sentences of The Red Planet, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Red Planet by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Red Planet by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4287 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4287, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Red Planet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Red Planet 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 Red Planet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
