Chapter 5 of Black April is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Black April is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples! Come on up, men! Treat de ladies! We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger! Liver-hash an’ rice!
Chapter 5 of Black April is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 wad of something chewable as tobacco
From this reading “We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!”
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading “A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!”
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading “We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!”
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading “We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!”
the human beings of a particular nation or community or ethnic group
From this reading “A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!”
grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
From this reading “Liver-hash an’ rice!”
aged or processed
From this reading “We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!”
interact in a certain way
From this reading “Treat de ladies!”
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 “A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!”
In this reading “A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!”
In this reading “A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!”
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 short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
loud cries made while weeping
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
a wad of something chewable as tobacco
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come on up, men!
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
having an easygoing and cheerful disposition
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading Treat de ladies!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Liver-hash an’ rice!
engage in
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
the force of workers available
From this reading Come on up, men!
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Come on up, men!
the human beings of a particular nation or community or ethnic group
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
grains used as food either unpolished or more often polished
From this reading Liver-hash an’ rice!
express in words
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
aged or processed
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
interact in a certain way
From this reading Treat de ladies!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Come on up, men!
a stock or supply of foods
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
which person or people
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
in the company of; together with
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading A short fat man, with a well-greased face and a good-natured smile, who stood waiting for Bina to say the word, began bawling with all his might, “De victuals is ready, peoples!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading We’s got t’ings seasoned fit to make you miss an’ chaw you’ finger!
Chapter 5 of Black April by Julia Peterkin holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 5 holds 419 sentences of Black April, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Black April by Julia Peterkin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 5 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.
