Chapter 6 of Woodcliff is here in full — 262 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Woodcliff is here in full — 262 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A SCOTCH MATRON. Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows. She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father. Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon. She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
Chapter 6 of Woodcliff is here in full — 262 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
Australian physician and bacteriologist who described the bacterium that causes undulant fever or brucellosis (1855-1931)
From this reading “Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows.”
in a sincere and heartfelt manner
From this reading “Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.”
United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading “Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.”
a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified
From this reading “A SCOTCH MATRON.”
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.”
a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading “A SCOTCH MATRON.”
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading “Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows.”
a man who courts a woman
From this reading “She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.”
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 “Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.”
In this reading “She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.”
In this reading “She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.”
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.”
In this reading “Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.”
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 A SCOTCH MATRON.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
pledged to be married
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
Australian physician and bacteriologist who described the bacterium that causes undulant fever or brucellosis (1855-1931)
From this reading Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
for the most part
From this reading She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father.
in a sincere and heartfelt manner
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
United States evangelical preacher famous as a mass evangelist (born in 1918)
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
held dear
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows.
joined in matrimony
From this reading She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
a married woman (usually middle-aged with children) who is staid and dignified
From this reading A SCOTCH MATRON.
used to form the superlative
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father.
more desirable than another
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading A SCOTCH MATRON.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father.
a male human offspring
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading Mrs. Bruce had seen many sorrows.
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father.
a man who courts a woman
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had married Stephen Bruce chiefly to please her father.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She had another suitor, Stephen Bruce, the son of her father's most intimate friend; this was the one preferred by her parent.
which person or people
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Early in life she had been betrothed to Malcolm Graham, a young man of excellent character, who dearly loved sweet Mary Gordon.
Chapter 6 of Woodcliff by Harriet B. (Harriet Burn) McKeever holds 262 sentences, grouped into 53 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 262 sentences of Woodcliff, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Woodcliff by Harriet B. (Harriet Burn) McKeever exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 262 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 Woodcliff by Harriet B. (Harriet Burn) McKeever on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6205 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76570 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76570, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 517 minutes of reading across 1241 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Woodcliff section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Woodcliff 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 Woodcliff, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
