Chapter 6 of Vain oblations is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Vain oblations is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Mrs. Lithway is wonderful,” I said. “I congratulate you.” His sombre eyes held me. “Ah, you will never know how wonderful--never!” He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
Chapter 6 of Vain oblations is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
From this reading “He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.”
say something to someone that expresses praise
From this reading ““I congratulate you.””
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading “His sombre eyes held me.”
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.”
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading “He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.”
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading ““Mrs. Lithway is wonderful,” I said.”
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 “His sombre eyes held me.”
In this reading “He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.”
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 He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, you will never know how wonderful--never!”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
say something to someone that expresses praise
From this reading “I congratulate you.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His sombre eyes held me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading His sombre eyes held me.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His sombre eyes held me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, you will never know how wonderful--never!”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Mrs. Lithway is wonderful,” I said.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Mrs. Lithway is wonderful,” I said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Ah, you will never know how wonderful--never!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mrs. Lithway is wonderful,” I said.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His sombre eyes held me.
a particular point in time
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Mrs. Lithway is wonderful,” I said.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Ah, you will never know how wonderful--never!”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Mrs. Lithway is wonderful,” I said.
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading His sombre eyes held me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Ah, you will never know how wonderful--never!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading He said it with a kind of brooding triumph, which, at the moment, I did not wholly understand.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “Mrs. Lithway is wonderful,” I said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I congratulate you.”
Chapter 6 of Vain oblations by Katharine Fullerton Gerould holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of Vain oblations, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Vain oblations by Katharine Fullerton Gerould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Vain oblations by Katharine Fullerton Gerould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vain oblations section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Vain oblations 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 Vain oblations, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
