Chapter 6 of When You Were a Boy is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of When You Were a Boy is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“N-no, I can’t come to-morrow,” you declared. “I can’t, either,” said Hen. Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please. Anyhow, you had not been stumped. Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
Chapter 6 of When You Were a Boy is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “Anyhow, you had not been stumped.”
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading “Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.”
adult female chicken
From this reading ““I can’t, either,” said Hen.”
constituting the undiminished entirety; lacking nothing essential especially not damaged
From this reading “Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.”
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading “Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.”
the possibility of future success
From this reading “Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.”
contemplation of things past
From this reading “Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.”
past form of “stump” — cause to be perplexed or confounded
From this reading “Anyhow, you had not been stumped.”
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 “Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.”
rest on for support
In this reading “Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.”
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 Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading Anyhow, you had not been stumped.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Anyhow, you had not been stumped.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “N-no, I can’t come to-morrow,” you declared.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “N-no, I can’t come to-morrow,” you declared.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading “N-no, I can’t come to-morrow,” you declared.
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
one or the other of two
From this reading “I can’t, either,” said Hen.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Anyhow, you had not been stumped.
adult female chicken
From this reading “I can’t, either,” said Hen.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “N-no, I can’t come to-morrow,” you declared.
constituting the undiminished entirety; lacking nothing essential especially not damaged
From this reading Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “N-no, I can’t come to-morrow,” you declared.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
the possibility of future success
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
contemplation of things past
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I can’t, either,” said Hen.
past form of “stump” — cause to be perplexed or confounded
From this reading Anyhow, you had not been stumped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “N-no, I can’t come to-morrow,” you declared.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
in or at the place that
From this reading Retrospect was most delightful; but prospect—well, here was a case where the prospect did _not_ please.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “N-no, I can’t come to-morrow,” you declared.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your honor was intact—and you could rest on your laurels.
Chapter 6 of When You Were a Boy by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 440 sentences of When You Were a Boy, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of When You Were a Boy by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 When You Were a Boy by Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand) Sabin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3082 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58165 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58165, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 256 minutes of reading across 617 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When You Were a Boy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of When You Were a Boy 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 When You Were a Boy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
