Chapter 6 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause. Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time." "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm. "You sit still; it's all right, I tell yer. Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
Chapter 6 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One 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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “"No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.”
a round vessel that is open at the top; used chiefly for holding food or liquids
From this reading “Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."”
plural of “grumble” — a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading “"Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.”
witty remark
From this reading “Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."”
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading “"No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.”
only a very short time before
From this reading “Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."”
past form of “spill” — cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container
From this reading “Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."”
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."”
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 “"You sit still; it's all right, I tell yer.”
In this reading “Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."”
In this reading “"No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.
(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 "You sit still; it's all right, I tell yer.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
a round vessel that is open at the top; used chiefly for holding food or liquids
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading "Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
plural of “grumble” — a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading "Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You sit still; it's all right, I tell yer.
not any; not one
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "You sit still; it's all right, I tell yer.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.
witty remark
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target
From this reading "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.
only a very short time before
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
be seated
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
past form of “spill” — cause or allow (a liquid substance) to run or flow from a container
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
not in physical motion
From this reading "You sit still; it's all right, I tell yer.
express in words
From this reading "You sit still; it's all right, I tell yer.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading "No, Sam, don't--pray, don't go fast!" said his wife, in alarm.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.
plural of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Good wives is scarce, Sally, so you won't be spilled."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sit fast; I'll bowl yer up there in no time."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes; a-making out as I grumbles without cause.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You sit still; it's all right, I tell yer.
Chapter 6 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32929 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32929, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 537 minutes of reading across 1290 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One 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 Thereby Hangs a Tale. Volume One, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
