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The Scratch Pack
The Scratch Pack

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Scratch Pack is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Dorothea Conyers • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Scratch Pack
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.
"Thank you.
Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."
The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.
She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Scratch Pack

Chapter VI

Chapter 6 of The Scratch Pack is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.
Line 2
"Thank you.
/θæŋk juː/
Line 3
Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."
Line 4
The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.
/ðə ənˈbroʊkən ɡluːm ʌv ðə deɪ hæd ˈɪrəteɪtəd hɜːr/
Line 5
She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

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.

backwards adverb US /ˈbækwərdz/

at or to or toward the back or rear

From this reading “"Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
France noun US /fræns/

a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading “Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
generous adjective US /ˈdʒenərəs/

willing to give and share unstintingly

From this reading “She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gloom noun US /ɡluːm/

a state of partial or total darkness

From this reading “The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grate noun US /ɡreɪt/

a frame of iron bars to hold a fire

From this reading “She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
irritated adjective US /ˈɪrəteɪtəd/

aroused to impatience or anger

From this reading “The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
recall verb US /ˈriːkɔːl/

recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading “She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unbroken adjective US /ənˈbroʊkən/

marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence

From this reading “The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

turn round verb + noun

In this reading “"Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.”

4,186 times in 426,211 chapters
looked at verb + particle counted as “look at”

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.”

296,767 times in 426,211 chapters
too generous adverb + adjective

In this reading “She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.”

718 times in 426,211 chapters
think of verb + particle

keep in mind for attention or consideration

In this reading “Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."”

152,298 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 53

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 She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
backwardsadverbUS /ˈbækwərdz/

at or to or toward the back or rear

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
breakverbUS /breɪk/

terminate

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

Pending verification
everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/

possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
FrancenounUS /fræns/

a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
generousadjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəs/

willing to give and share unstintingly

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Gheena

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

Pending verification
gloomnounUS /ɡluːm/

a state of partial or total darkness

From this reading The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gratenounUS /ɡreɪt/

a frame of iron bars to hold a fire

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
irritatedadjectiveUS /ˈɪrəteɪtəd/

aroused to impatience or anger

From this reading The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
moneynounUS /ˈmʌni/

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/

many times at short intervals

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
paidadjectiveUS /peɪd/

marked by the reception of pay

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
recallverbUS /ˈriːkɔːl/

recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rememberedverbUS /rɪˈmembərd/

past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
soldiersnounUS /ˈsoʊldʒərz/

plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stepnounUS /step/

any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TakeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThankverbUS /θæŋk/

express gratitude or show appreciation to

From this reading "Thank you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading Don’t break it; think of the soldiers in France."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
turnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading "Take one step backwards—now turn round," said Gheena.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unbrokenadjectiveUS /ənˈbroʊkən/

marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence

From this reading The unbroken gloom of the day had irritated her.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading She looked at the grate and remembered—Gheena was too generous to recall it often—that it was her father’s money which paid for everything, and that in a few years’ time the house would be her own.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Thank you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 6 of The Scratch Pack by Dorothea Conyers holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 Scratch Pack contain?

Chapter 6 holds 414 sentences of The Scratch Pack, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of The Scratch Pack by Dorothea Conyers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

How do I study chapter 6 of The Scratch Pack?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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.

Can chapter 6 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Scratch Pack

Common questions about reading The Scratch Pack by Dorothea Conyers on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Scratch Pack?

Yes. All 5821 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53175 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Scratch Pack is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #53175, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Scratch Pack take to read?

About 485 minutes of reading across 1165 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Scratch Pack section by section

How to work through The Scratch Pack section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Scratch Pack to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Scratch Pack

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Scratch Pack, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Dorothea
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scratch Pack; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Conyers
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scratch Pack; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scratch Pack; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Strayings
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Scratch Pack; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.