Chapter 6 of Black April is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Black April is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em. Le’ we hear de news!” But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business. Not me!” She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
Chapter 6 of Black April is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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 garment of cloth or leather or plastic that is tied about the waist and worn to protect your clothing
From this reading “She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.”
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading “But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading “When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.”
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.”
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.”
past form of “suck” — draw into the mouth by creating a practical vacuum in the mouth
From this reading “But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.”
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
From this reading “When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.”
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading “But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.”
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.
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
In this reading “When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.”
In this reading “She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.”
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 She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
a garment of cloth or leather or plastic that is tied about the waist and worn to protect your clothing
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Le’ we hear de news!”
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
a quad with a square body
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
divisible by two
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Le’ we hear de news!”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading Le’ we hear de news!”
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Not me!”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
information about recent and important events
From this reading Le’ we hear de news!”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not me!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
past form of “suck” — draw into the mouth by creating a practical vacuum in the mouth
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
institute legal proceedings against; file a suit against
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
express in words
From this reading But Big Sue sucked her teeth and said, “I don’ tell ev’ybody my business.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Le’ we hear de news!”
at the time that
From this reading When Big Sue stumbled in half out of breath, they called out to her, “Hurry up an’ read em.
in or at the place that
From this reading She took the letter and put it deep down in her apron pocket where not a soul could even see it.
Chapter 6 of Black April by Julia Peterkin holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of Black April, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Black April by Julia Peterkin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 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.
