Chapter 4 of Black Silence is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Black Silence is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Shoot them!" he interrupted fiercely. "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!" There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice. Matt clicked off the walkie-talkie. He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.
Chapter 4 of Black Silence is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading “"We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"”
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “"We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"”
past form of “click” — move or strike with a noise
From this reading “Matt clicked off the walkie-talkie.”
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading “"Shoot them!" he interrupted fiercely.”
(Old Testament) the second patriarch; son of Abraham and Sarah who was offered by Abraham as a sacrifice to God; father of Jacob and Esau
From this reading “He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.”
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading “Matt clicked off the walkie-talkie.”
-ing form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading “He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.”
lacking natural ease
From this reading “There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.”
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 “There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.”
In this reading “He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.”
In this reading “"We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"”
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 There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
be able to spare or give up
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
past form of “click” — move or strike with a noise
From this reading Matt clicked off the walkie-talkie.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading "Shoot them!" he interrupted fiercely.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Shoot them!" he interrupted fiercely.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading "Shoot them!" he interrupted fiercely.
(Old Testament) the second patriarch; son of Abraham and Sarah who was offered by Abraham as a sacrifice to God; father of Jacob and Esau
From this reading He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
From this reading Matt clicked off the walkie-talkie.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Matt clicked off the walkie-talkie.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
a full supply
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.
-ing form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading "Shoot them!" he interrupted fiercely.
lacking natural ease
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
carry out
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Matt clicked off the walkie-talkie.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Shoot them!" he interrupted fiercely.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
small portable radio link (receiver and transmitter)
From this reading Matt clicked off the walkie-talkie.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
in or at the place that
From this reading "We can't afford to take chances--and there's plenty more where they came from!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading He realized Isaac was regarding him with a queer expression.
an affirmative
From this reading There was a pause, then Lynn said, "Yes," in a strained voice.
Chapter 4 of Black Silence by Robert Emmett McDowell holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 4 holds 457 sentences of Black Silence, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Black Silence by Robert Emmett McDowell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 4 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.
