Chapter 2 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Isobel turned to face him. "Why, yes. The people there in Gao mentioned him. Who is he?" "That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.
Chapter 2 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 440 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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 front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading “Isobel turned to face him.”
an independent nonpartisan federal agency that acts as the investigative arm of Congress making the executive branch accountable to Congress and the government accountable to citizens of the United States
From this reading “The people there in Gao mentioned him.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “"That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “"That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.”
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading “The people there in Gao mentioned him.”
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “The people there in Gao mentioned him.”
moved around an axis or center
From this reading “Isobel turned to face him.”
an affirmative
From this reading “"Why, yes.”
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.
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.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Isobel turned to face him.
an independent nonpartisan federal agency that acts as the investigative arm of Congress making the executive branch accountable to Congress and the government accountable to citizens of the United States
From this reading The people there in Gao mentioned him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Who is he?"
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Isobel turned to face him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The people there in Gao mentioned him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Who is he?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Isobel turned to face him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading The people there in Gao mentioned him.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The people there in Gao mentioned him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The people there in Gao mentioned him.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The people there in Gao mentioned him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Isobel turned to face him.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Isobel turned to face him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "That's what I'd like to know," Jake said.
which person or people
From this reading Who is he?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, yes.
an affirmative
From this reading "Why, yes.
Chapter 2 of Black Man's Burden by Mack Reynolds holds 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 2 holds 440 sentences of Black Man's Burden, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Black Man's Burden by Mack Reynolds exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 440 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 2 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 Man's Burden by Mack Reynolds on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3101 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32390 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32390, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 258 minutes of reading across 621 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Black Man's Burden section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of Black Man's Burden 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 Man's Burden, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
