Chapter 6 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Verbeena came to she was the only one present. Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men. They swarmed outside there. And inside were other swarms. These were of flies and sandfleas.
Chapter 6 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)
From this reading “These were of flies and sandfleas.”
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.”
uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
From this reading “Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.”
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading “And inside were other swarms.”
plural of “oat” — annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: “oats”)
From this reading “Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.”
possessive form of “sheik” — the leader of an Arab village or family
From this reading “Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.”
past form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading “They swarmed outside there.”
plural of “swarm” — a moving crowd
From this reading “And inside were other swarms.”
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.
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.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
(theater) the space over the stage (out of view of the audience) used to store scenery (drop curtains)
From this reading These were of flies and sandfleas.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading And inside were other swarms.
the force of workers available
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
plural of “oat” — annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: “oats”)
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
and nothing more
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading And inside were other swarms.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These were of flies and sandfleas.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
possessive form of “sheik” — the leader of an Arab village or family
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
past form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading They swarmed outside there.
plural of “swarm” — a moving crowd
From this reading And inside were other swarms.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
in or at that place or location
From this reading They swarmed outside there.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These were of flies and sandfleas.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They swarmed outside there.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And inside were other swarms.
at the time that
From this reading When Verbeena came to she was the only one present.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Outside she could hear the Sheik's horses whinnying among their oats and the incessant chaffing of his men.
Chapter 6 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque by Charles Somerville holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 105 sentences of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque by Charles Somerville exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque by Charles Somerville on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1753 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40934 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40934, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 146 minutes of reading across 351 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque 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 Shriek: A Satirical Burlesque, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
