Chapter 6 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt. "How primitive," she meditated. "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl! I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing. I believe the Andrewses have a daughter.
Chapter 6 of The Touch of Abner is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “berry” — any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves
From this reading “"And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!”
make a strident sound
From this reading “Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.”
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading “Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.”
a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
From this reading “Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.”
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading “"And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!”
belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
From this reading “"How primitive," she meditated.”
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading “"And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!”
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading “Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.”
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 “Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.”
In this reading “Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.”
In this reading “Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “"And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!”
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 believe the Andrewses have a daughter.
anew
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I believe the Andrewses have a daughter.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I believe the Andrewses have a daughter.
plural of “berry” — any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
make a strident sound
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
a female human offspring
From this reading I believe the Andrewses have a daughter.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
a young female
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I believe the Andrewses have a daughter.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How primitive," she meditated.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How primitive," she meditated.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
a judge of a probate court
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
in the near future
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
From this reading "How primitive," she meditated.
plural of “river” — a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "And to think of Miss Rivers picking berries like an ordinary country girl!
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Presently the long-drawn blast of the tin horn sounded upon her ears, and again she smiled, but it was the smile of contempt.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
in or at the place that
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading I wonder if her father knows where she is, and what she is doing.
Chapter 6 of The Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 400 sentences of The Touch of Abner, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Touch of Abner by H. A. (Hiram Alfred) Cody on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6854 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53604 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53604, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 571 minutes of reading across 1371 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Touch of Abner section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Touch of Abner 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 Touch of Abner, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
