Chapter 6 of Whispering Walls is here in full — 430 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 Whispering Walls is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste." The professor nodded. "The intended victim _always knows_," he declared. "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin. To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
Chapter 6 of Whispering Walls is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect
From this reading “To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."”
having much knowledge or education
From this reading “"By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.”
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading “"The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “The professor nodded.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “The professor nodded.”
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “"By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.”
try to get or reach
From this reading “"By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.”
an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading “"The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.”
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 “"The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.
producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect
From this reading To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way
From this reading To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
having much knowledge or education
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading "The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading "The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The professor nodded.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
a human being
From this reading To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading The professor nodded.
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
try to get or reach
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The professor nodded.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To be effective, the person must fear the mumbo-jumbo hocus-pocus."
an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading "The intended victim _always knows_," he declared.
which person or people
From this reading "By one means or another he is informed through those who seek his ruin.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, she learned about it--probably from Anton or Celeste."
Chapter 6 of Whispering Walls by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 430 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 430 sentences of Whispering Walls, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Whispering Walls by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 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 Whispering Walls by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3890 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34975 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34975, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 324 minutes of reading across 778 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Whispering Walls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Whispering Walls 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 Whispering Walls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
