Chapter 7 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They took chairs. Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man. I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me." He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town." Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.
Chapter 7 of Black Man's Burden is here in full — 445 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."”
someone who bakes commercially
From this reading “Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.”
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “They took chairs.”
United States neoclassical sculptor (1814-1857)
From this reading “Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.”
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading “He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."”
to a moderate degree
From this reading “Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.”
located on or directed toward the right
From this reading “Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.”
a cooperative unit (especially in sports)
From this reading “I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."”
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 “Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.”
the most helpful assistant
In this reading “Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.”
In this reading “He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."”
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 He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
any thing at all
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
someone who bakes commercially
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading They took chairs.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.
United States neoclassical sculptor (1814-1857)
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
in a dry laconic manner
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
to a moderate degree
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
above and across; more than
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.
located on or directed toward the right
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Crawford said mildly, "Mr. Baker is my right-hand man.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.
carry out
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
a cooperative unit (especially in sports)
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
in or at that place or location
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They took chairs.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading Abe cleared his throat but remained silent.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I assume he'd take over the team if anything happened to me."
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading They took chairs.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He added dryly, "Besides, there were a few things he felt he had to do about town."
Chapter 7 of Black Man's Burden by Mack Reynolds holds 445 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 7 holds 445 sentences of Black Man's Burden, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Black Man's Burden by Mack Reynolds exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 445 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 7 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.
