Chapter 6 of The Surprise Book is here in full — 415 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 Surprise Book is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ermelinda put an arm around Stella. “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said. “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!” They walked toward the class together. Somehow, they had become real friends.
Chapter 6 of The Surprise Book is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading ““I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!””
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading “They walked toward the class together.”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading ““I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.”
occurring by chance
From this reading ““I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!””
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading ““I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!””
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading ““I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!””
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “Somehow, they had become real friends.”
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading “Ermelinda put an arm around Stella.”
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.
a younger sister
In this reading ““I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!””
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 “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
(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 “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Ermelinda put an arm around Stella.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Ermelinda put an arm around Stella.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Ermelinda put an arm around Stella.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Somehow, they had become real friends.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading They walked toward the class together.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ermelinda put an arm around Stella.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Somehow, they had become real friends.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
occurring by chance
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Ermelinda put an arm around Stella.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading Somehow, they had become real friends.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading Somehow, they had become real friends.
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading Ermelinda put an arm around Stella.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They walked toward the class together.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They walked toward the class together.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “I’ve been lucky all my life and had things done for me but I’d be mighty proud if I could buy my little sister a coat if she needed one!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading They walked toward the class together.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
in the direction of
From this reading They walked toward the class together.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading They walked toward the class together.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “I’d like to work, too, to get that coat,” she said.
Chapter 6 of The Surprise Book by Patten Beard holds 415 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 415 sentences of The Surprise Book, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Surprise Book by Patten Beard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 Surprise Book by Patten Beard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2501 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56170 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56170, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 208 minutes of reading across 501 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Surprise Book section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Surprise Book 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 Surprise Book, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
