Chapter 19 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 XIX
Chapter 19 of Black April is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty? I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.” Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s. April groaned and let her hand go. Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
Chapter 19 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.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading “Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.”
possessive form of “april” — the month following March and preceding May
in a courageous manner
From this reading “Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.”
(Roman mythology) god of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Hades
From this reading ““Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?”
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading “I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.””
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “April groaned and let her hand go.”
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading “Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.”
shake, as from cold
From this reading “Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.”
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 “Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.”
apply thoroughly; think through
In this reading “Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.”
In this reading ““Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?”
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 Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading April groaned and let her hand go.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading April groaned and let her hand go.
possessive form of “april” — the month following March and preceding May
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
in a courageous manner
From this reading Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
(Roman mythology) god of the underworld; counterpart of Greek Hades
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
From this reading I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading April groaned and let her hand go.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading April groaned and let her hand go.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.”
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading April groaned and let her hand go.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
staying power
From this reading I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading April groaned and let her hand go.
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
express in words
From this reading Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
shake, as from cold
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Joy stood silent, a shudder ran through her, her fingers lay limp in April’s.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Then Joy tried to smile bravely and say she didn’t mind.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading I’m gwine git wood legs befo’ long.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Joy, you don’ mind me bein’ dis way, enty?
Chapter 19 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 19 holds 412 sentences of Black April, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 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 19 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.
