Chapter 4 of The Sixty-First Second is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Sixty-First Second is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Both times." He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back. "Tell me this, Rita," he said. "Who else came back here tonight?" "Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."
Chapter 4 of The Sixty-First Second is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “"Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."”
United States writer of novels and short stories (1912-1982)
From this reading “"Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."”
having the place or position changed
From this reading “He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “"Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."”
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading “"Both times."”
On the present night.
From this reading “"Who else came back here tonight?"”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading “He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.”
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading “He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.”
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.
be restored
In this reading “He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.”
In this reading “"Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."”
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 He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
the two together, not just one
From this reading "Both times."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
United States writer of novels and short stories (1912-1982)
From this reading "Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."
having the place or position changed
From this reading He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who else came back here tonight?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Who else came back here tonight?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Tell me this, Rita," he said.
in a moody manner
From this reading He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tell me this, Rita," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Tell me this, Rita," he said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and—Mrs. Cheever."
express in words
From this reading "Tell me this, Rita," he said.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Tell me this, Rita," he said.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading "Both times."
On the present night.
From this reading "Who else came back here tonight?"
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back.
which person or people
From this reading "Who else came back here tonight?"
Chapter 4 of The Sixty-First Second by Owen Johnson holds 411 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.
Chapter 4 holds 411 sentences of The Sixty-First Second, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Sixty-First Second by Owen Johnson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 Sixty-First Second by Owen Johnson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6393 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37113 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37113, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 532 minutes of reading across 1279 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sixty-First Second section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Sixty-First Second 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 Sixty-First Second, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
