Chapter 6 of Voices from the Past is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Voices from the Past is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove... “Why do you break off?” I asked. He did not answer but said: “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
Chapter 6 of Voices from the Past is here in full — 391 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
people who lived in times long past (especially during the historical period before the fall of the Roman Empire in western Europe)
From this reading ““They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...””
United States general who served as military director of the atomic bomb project (1896-1970)
From this reading ““They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...””
plural of “peak” — the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading ““They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...””
a thin strip of covered cord used to edge hems
From this reading “before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...”
more desirable than another
From this reading ““They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...””
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading ““They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...””
characteristic of a virgin or virginity
From this reading ““They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...””
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading ““They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...””
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 ““They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...””
interrupt before its natural or planned end
In this reading ““Why do you break off?””
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.
people who lived in times long past (especially during the historical period before the fall of the Roman Empire in western Europe)
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
react verbally
From this reading He did not answer but said:
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
terminate
From this reading “Why do you break off?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He did not answer but said:
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not answer but said:
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Why do you break off?”
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
United States general who served as military director of the atomic bomb project (1896-1970)
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not answer but said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not answer but said:
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Why do you break off?”
plural of “peak” — the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
a thin strip of covered cord used to edge hems
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
more desirable than another
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He did not answer but said:
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
ask humbly (for something)
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
characteristic of a virgin or virginity
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading “They knew, those ancients, how to supplicate the lowliest...they preferred the virginal...snowy peaks...whispering groves...the hunting cry...”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do you break off?”
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading before the piping sea wind the dark blue storm waves drove...
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Why do you break off?”
Chapter 6 of Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett holds 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 391 sentences of Voices from the Past, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 391 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11644 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39468 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39468, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2329 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Voices from the Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Voices from the Past 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 Voices from the Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
