Chapter 3 of Black Jack is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Black Jack is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre. And a changed horse he was. One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert. One ear flagged warily back. He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
Chapter 3 of Black Jack is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.”
inflected form of “flag” — communicate or signal with a flag
From this reading “One ear flagged warily back.”
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.”
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading “When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.”
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading “One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.”
dramatist of ancient Rome (born in Greece) whose comedies were based on works by Menander (190?-159 BC)
From this reading “When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.”
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading “When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.”
in a wary manner
From this reading “One ear flagged warily back.”
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 And a changed horse he was.
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And a changed horse he was.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading One ear flagged warily back.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading And a changed horse he was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
inflected form of “flag” — communicate or signal with a flag
From this reading One ear flagged warily back.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And a changed horse he was.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading And a changed horse he was.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
cut with a saw
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
dramatist of ancient Rome (born in Greece) whose comedies were based on works by Menander (190?-159 BC)
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
precisely as stated
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
in a wary manner
From this reading One ear flagged warily back.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And a changed horse he was.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
at the time that
From this reading When they reached the front porch, they saw Terence Colby coming up the terrace from the river road on Le Sangre.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He went slowly, lifting his feet with the care of a very weary horse.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading One ear was forward as if he did not know what lay in store for him, but would try to be on the alert.
Chapter 3 of Black Jack by Max Brand holds 154 sentences, grouped into 31 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 3 holds 154 sentences of Black Jack, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Black Jack by Max Brand exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 3 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 Jack by Max Brand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9925 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9925, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 510 minutes of reading across 1227 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Black Jack section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Black Jack 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 Jack, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
