Chapter 2 of Black Silence is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Black Silence is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Don't get too hopeful," said Matt. They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence. When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted. It was a big frame farm house, Matt saw. The front door hung askew.
Chapter 2 of Black Silence is here in full — 452 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 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.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading “When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.”
turned or twisted toward one side
From this reading “The front door hung askew.”
enclose with a fence
From this reading “They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.”
having or manifesting hope
From this reading “"Don't get too hopeful," said Matt.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “"Don't get too hopeful," said Matt.”
a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock
From this reading “They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.”
having accumulated rust
From this reading “They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.”
past form of “troop” — march in a procession
From this reading “They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.”
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 “When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.”
In this reading “When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.”
exterior door (at the entrance) at the front of a building
In this reading “The front door hung askew.”
In this reading “They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.”
In this reading “It was a big frame farm house, Matt saw.”
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 It was a big frame farm house, Matt saw.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
turned or twisted toward one side
From this reading The front door hung askew.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a big frame farm house, Matt saw.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't get too hopeful," said Matt.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The front door hung askew.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading It was a big frame farm house, Matt saw.
enclose with a fence
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
enclose in or as if in a frame
From this reading It was a big frame farm house, Matt saw.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The front door hung askew.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Don't get too hopeful," said Matt.
having or manifesting hope
From this reading "Don't get too hopeful," said Matt.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading The front door hung askew.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading "Don't get too hopeful," said Matt.
a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
having accumulated rust
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Don't get too hopeful," said Matt.
cut with a saw
From this reading It was a big frame farm house, Matt saw.
not in physical motion
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Don't get too hopeful," said Matt.
past form of “troop” — march in a procession
From this reading They trooped eagerly across the pasture and climbed another rusted fence.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
at the time that
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading When they were still fifty yards distant, it became apparent that the house was deserted.
Chapter 2 of Black Silence by Robert Emmett McDowell holds 452 sentences, grouped into 91 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 452 sentences of Black Silence, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Black Silence by Robert Emmett McDowell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 452 sentences, grouped into 91 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 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 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 Silence by Robert Emmett McDowell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2277 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64326 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64326, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 189 minutes of reading across 456 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Black Silence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Black Silence 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 Silence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
