Chapter 6 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?" Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them." Jake twisted his mouth, in objection. "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?" Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.
Chapter 6 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 444 sentences across 89 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.
a cruel and brutal fellow
From this reading “Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."”
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading “Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.”
United States neoclassical sculptor (1814-1857)
From this reading “Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.”
in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way
From this reading “Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.”
a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading “Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."”
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading “Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.”
a momentary flash of light
From this reading “"Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"”
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.
be careful, prudent, or watchful
In this reading “Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."”
In this reading “Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"”
In this reading “Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."”
In this reading “Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.”
get going or set in motion
In this reading “"Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"”
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 Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
a cruel and brutal fellow
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
a steep high face of rock
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)
From this reading Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
United States neoclassical sculptor (1814-1857)
From this reading Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jake twisted his mouth, in objection.
a base hit on which the batter scores a run
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jake twisted his mouth, in objection.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading Jake twisted his mouth, in objection.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
From this reading Jake twisted his mouth, in objection.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.
above and across; more than
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
From this reading Homer Crawford grinned and began climbing out of the plane.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
a momentary flash of light
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
express a supposition
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
carry out
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
make an effort or attempt
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading Jake twisted his mouth, in objection.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Homer said evenly, "We have a couple of bully boys in the crowd to take care of them."
in a worried manner
From this reading Cliff said worriedly, "Suppose some of the hotheads get tired of this and try to take over?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Might that not strike the spark that would start up violence?"
Chapter 6 of Black Man's Burden by Mack Reynolds holds 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 444 sentences of Black Man's Burden, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Black Man's Burden by Mack Reynolds exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 444 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 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.
