Chapter 6 of Torchy is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Torchy is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's! Sure, I've been mixed up in one. Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds. Not that I'm carryin' any grouch. I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
Chapter 6 of Torchy is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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 “blossom” — reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts
From this reading “Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.”
plural of “bud” — a partially opened flower
From this reading “Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.”
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading “Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.”
lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading “I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.”
a bad-tempered person
From this reading “Not that I'm carryin' any grouch.”
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading “Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.”
round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees
From this reading “Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.”
-ing form of “shunt” — transfer to another track, of trains
From this reading “SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!”
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 Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
(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 Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Not that I'm carryin' any grouch.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Sure, I've been mixed up in one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
plural of “blossom” — reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
plural of “bud” — a partially opened flower
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not that I'm carryin' any grouch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
a bad-tempered person
From this reading Not that I'm carryin' any grouch.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not that I'm carryin' any grouch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sure, I've been mixed up in one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sure, I've been mixed up in one.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
by chance
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
From this reading Sure, I've been mixed up in one.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not that I'm carryin' any grouch.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Sure, I've been mixed up in one.
round yellow to orange fruit of any of several citrus trees
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
-ing form of “shunt” — transfer to another track, of trains
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I might have known better'n to butt into any such doin's.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Sure, I've been mixed up in one.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not that I'm carryin' any grouch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Sure, I've been mixed up in one.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Maybe there was orange blossoms and so on; but all that's handed me is a bunch of lemon buds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SHUNTING BROTHER BILL Don't talk to me about weddin's!
Chapter 6 of Torchy by Sewell Ford holds 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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 258 sentences of Torchy, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Torchy by Sewell Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Torchy by Sewell Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4899 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20626 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20626, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 408 minutes of reading across 980 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Torchy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Torchy 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 Torchy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
