Chapter 6 of The Splendid Outcast is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Splendid Outcast is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile. "Nothing at all." But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort. She had struck a match to make a light. "What—what are you doing?" he asked.
Chapter 6 of The Splendid Outcast 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
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 “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “"Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.”
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading “She had struck a match to make a light.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “"Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.”
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.”
the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
From this reading “But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “She had struck a match to make a light.”
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.
In this reading “But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.”
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 "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
(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 "Nothing at all."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What—what are you doing?" he asked.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What—what are you doing?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "What—what are you doing?" he asked.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
divisible by two
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had struck a match to make a light.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She had struck a match to make a light.
engage in
From this reading She had struck a match to make a light.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading She had struck a match to make a light.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
plural of “muscle” — one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had struck a match to make a light.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading She had struck a match to make a light.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But even the smile was different, as though the muscles acted in obedience to an effort.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What—what are you doing?" he asked.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Nothing," he murmured with an attempt at a smile.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What—what are you doing?" he asked.
Chapter 6 of The Splendid Outcast by George Gibbs 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.
Chapter 6 holds 414 sentences of The Splendid Outcast, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Splendid Outcast by George Gibbs 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.
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 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 Splendid Outcast by George Gibbs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7850 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47900 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47900, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1570 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Splendid Outcast section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Splendid Outcast 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 Splendid Outcast, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
