Chapter 2 of Black April is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Black April is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then something else went wrong. Where was a spider’s web? Granny ought to have had one ready. Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case. Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
Chapter 2 of Black April is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Granny ought to have had one ready.”
a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies
From this reading “Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.”
above your head; in the sky
From this reading “Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.”
plural of “rafter” — one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
From this reading “Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.”
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading “Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.”
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading “Where was a spider’s web?”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “Then something else went wrong.”
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.
be unsuccessful
In this reading “Then something else went wrong.”
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 Where was a spider’s web?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then something else went wrong.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Granny ought to have had one ready.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Granny ought to have had one ready.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Granny ought to have had one ready.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
a woman skilled in aiding the delivery of babies
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Granny ought to have had one ready.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading Granny ought to have had one ready.
above your head; in the sky
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
plural of “rafter” — one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Granny ought to have had one ready.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Then something else went wrong.
in the near future
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Where was a spider’s web?
plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
From this reading Every good midwife should find one as soon as she takes a case.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then something else went wrong.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Granny ought to have had one ready.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Where was a spider’s web?
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading Where was a spider’s web?
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then something else went wrong.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Maum Hannah’s eyes were too dim to see a web on the dark rafters overhead.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where was a spider’s web?
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading Then something else went wrong.
Chapter 2 of Black April by Julia Peterkin holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 2 holds 408 sentences of Black April, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Black April by Julia Peterkin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 2 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 Black April by Julia Peterkin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7944 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72611 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72611, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1589 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Black April section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Black April 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 Black April, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
