Chapter 24 of Black Jack is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of Black Jack is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Looking back, he could understand everything easily. The horse was the main objective of Pollard. He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay. But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre. And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
Chapter 24 of Black Jack is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading “But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.”
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading “He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.”
most important element
From this reading “The horse was the main objective of Pollard.”
undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena
From this reading “The horse was the main objective of Pollard.”
a tree with limbs cut back to promote a more bushy growth of foliage
From this reading “The horse was the main objective of Pollard.”
dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading “He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.”
English actress (1847-1928)
From this reading “He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.”
the basic unit of money in South Korea
From this reading “He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.”
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 now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Looking back, he could understand everything easily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Looking back, he could understand everything easily.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Looking back, he could understand everything easily.
angular distance above the horizon (especially of a celestial object)
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Looking back, he could understand everything easily.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Looking back, he could understand everything easily.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading The horse was the main objective of Pollard.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Looking back, he could understand everything easily.
most important element
From this reading The horse was the main objective of Pollard.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
the force of workers available
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
a particular point in time
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
undistorted by emotion or personal bias; based on observable phenomena
From this reading The horse was the main objective of Pollard.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The horse was the main objective of Pollard.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
above and across; more than
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
a tree with limbs cut back to promote a more bushy growth of foliage
From this reading The horse was the main objective of Pollard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But by fair means or foul he intended to have El Sangre.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
dispose or incline or entice to
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
English actress (1847-1928)
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The horse was the main objective of Pollard.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Looking back, he could understand everything easily.
a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The horse was the main objective of Pollard.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And now, the moment his men were in place, a change came over Pollard.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
the basic unit of money in South Korea
From this reading He had won the money so as to tempt Terry to gamble with the value of the blood-bay.
Chapter 24 of Black Jack by Max Brand holds 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 24 holds 222 sentences of Black Jack, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of Black Jack by Max Brand exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 24 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.
