Chapter 6 of Ultima Thule is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Ultima Thule is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered. The old-timer sat down again. “My son,” he said, “runs the farm now. Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these. It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
Chapter 6 of Ultima Thule is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 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.
present reasons and arguments
From this reading “It was little use on my part to argue against the step.”
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.”
plural of “colt” — a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading “Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.”
an experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service
From this reading “The old-timer sat down again.”
(often used in combination) having or using or propelled by means of power or power of a specified kind
From this reading “Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.”
operate like a pump; move up and down, like a handle or a pedal
From this reading “Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.”
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading “The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.”
past form of “trade” — engage in the trade of
From this reading “Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.”
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 “Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.”
In this reading “It was little use on my part to argue against the step.”
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 Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
anew
From this reading The old-timer sat down again.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
in the past
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
present reasons and arguments
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
plural of “colt” — a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The old-timer sat down again.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading “My son,” he said, “runs the farm now.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
a metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram
From this reading The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “My son,” he said, “runs the farm now.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My son,” he said, “runs the farm now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “My son,” he said, “runs the farm now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
an experienced person who has been through many battles; someone who has given long service
From this reading The old-timer sat down again.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
(often used in combination) having or using or propelled by means of power or power of a specified kind
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
operate like a pump; move up and down, like a handle or a pedal
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading “My son,” he said, “runs the farm now.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “My son,” he said, “runs the farm now.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The old-timer sat down again.
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
a male human offspring
From this reading “My son,” he said, “runs the farm now.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Section G agent shook his head, bewildered.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
past form of “trade” — engage in the trade of
From this reading Six months ago, he traded one of our colts for a small pump, powered by one of these.
the act of using
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was little use on my part to argue against the step.
Chapter 6 of Ultima Thule by Mack Reynolds holds 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 403 sentences of Ultima Thule, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Ultima Thule by Mack Reynolds exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Ultima Thule by Mack Reynolds on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2418 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30334 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30334, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 201 minutes of reading across 484 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ultima Thule section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Ultima Thule 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 Ultima Thule, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
