Chapter 6 of William—the fourth is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of William—the fourth is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange. A branch of _the_ d’Arcey family, you know. Lord d’Arcey and Lady d’Arcey and Lady Barbara d’Arcey. Lady Barbara was seven years of age. She was fair, frilly, fascinating.
Chapter 6 of William—the fourth is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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.
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading “A branch of _the_ d’Arcey family, you know.”
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading “She was fair, frilly, fascinating.”
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading ““KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.”
having decorative ruffles or frills
From this reading “She was fair, frilly, fascinating.”
an outlying farm
From this reading ““KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.”
plural of “kidnapper” — someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom)
From this reading ““KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading “Lady Barbara was seven years of age.”
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading ““KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.”
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 “Lady Barbara was seven years of age.”
In this reading ““KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.”
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 “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
how long something has existed
From this reading Lady Barbara was seven years of age.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Lord d’Arcey and Lady d’Arcey and Lady Barbara d’Arcey.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lord d’Arcey and Lady d’Arcey and Lady Barbara d’Arcey.
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading A branch of _the_ d’Arcey family, you know.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A branch of _the_ d’Arcey family, you know.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading She was fair, frilly, fascinating.
a social unit living together
From this reading A branch of _the_ d’Arcey family, you know.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading She was fair, frilly, fascinating.
move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
having decorative ruffles or frills
From this reading She was fair, frilly, fascinating.
an outlying farm
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
plural of “kidnapper” — someone who unlawfully seizes and detains a victim (usually for ransom)
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading A branch of _the_ d’Arcey family, you know.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Lord d’Arcey and Lady d’Arcey and Lady Barbara d’Arcey.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Lord d’Arcey and Lady d’Arcey and Lady Barbara d’Arcey.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A branch of _the_ d’Arcey family, you know.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading Lady Barbara was seven years of age.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was fair, frilly, fascinating.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
at the time that
From this reading “KIDNAPPERS” There was quite a flutter in the village when the d’Arceys came to the Grange.
a late time of life
From this reading Lady Barbara was seven years of age.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading A branch of _the_ d’Arcey family, you know.
Chapter 6 of William—the fourth by Richmal Crompton holds 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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 380 sentences of William—the fourth, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of William—the fourth by Richmal Crompton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 William—the fourth by Richmal Crompton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4416 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66971 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66971, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 368 minutes of reading across 884 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through William—the fourth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of William—the fourth 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 William—the fourth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
