Chapter 6 of The Sense of the Past is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Sense of the Past is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off. "You carry all your fortune about you?" "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch." And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing. "Guess what this alone comes to."
Chapter 6 of The Sense of the Past is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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 grasping
From this reading “"Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."”
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “"You carry all your fortune about you?"”
a small number or amount
From this reading “"Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.”
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading “And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.”
possessive form of “perry” — United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading “Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.”
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.
on everybody's mind
In this reading “And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.”
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 "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "You carry all your fortune about you?"
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "You carry all your fortune about you?"
Having no one else present.
From this reading "Guess what this alone comes to."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading "You carry all your fortune about you?"
the act of grasping
From this reading "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "Guess what this alone comes to."
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading "You carry all your fortune about you?"
moderately good of its kind
From this reading "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Guess what this alone comes to."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
a small number or amount
From this reading "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
on one occasion
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
and nothing more
From this reading "Not all--only a goodish handful, but a clutch can follow a clutch."
possessive form of “perry” — United States philosopher (1876-1957)
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
not in physical motion
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Perry's breath, as it had more than once done before, came shorter and shorter, but he still stood off.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And he so liked his clutch that he drew it forth and held it high, shaking it in the air and laughing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Guess what this alone comes to."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Guess what this alone comes to."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Guess what this alone comes to."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You carry all your fortune about you?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You carry all your fortune about you?"
Chapter 6 of The Sense of the Past by Henry James holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 426 sentences of The Sense of the Past, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Sense of the Past by Henry James exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Sense of the Past by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2613 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63369 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63369, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 217 minutes of reading across 523 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sense of the Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Sense of the Past 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 Sense of the Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
