Chapter 5 of Black Silence is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Black Silence is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Good." "Not so good as you might think." She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed. "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state. When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.
Chapter 5 of Black Silence is here in full — 455 sentences across 91 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.
plural of “cool” — the quality of being at a refreshingly low temperature
From this reading “When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.”
form a curl, curve, or kink
From this reading “She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.”
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading “"We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.”
reduced to liquid form by heating
From this reading “"We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.”
capable of being molded or modeled (especially of earth or clay or other soft material)
From this reading “"We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.”
past form of “spray” — be discharged in sprays of liquid
From this reading “"We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.”
having tucked or being tucked
From this reading “She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Not so good as you might think."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
plural of “cool” — the quality of being at a refreshingly low temperature
From this reading When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.
form a curl, curve, or kink
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good."
third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Not so good as you might think."
reduced to liquid form by heating
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not so good as you might think."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
capable of being molded or modeled (especially of earth or clay or other soft material)
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Not so good as you might think."
past form of “spray” — be discharged in sprays of liquid
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Not so good as you might think."
having tucked or being tucked
From this reading She tucked a stray black curl into place and sighed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We've developed a plastic that can be sprayed on in the molten state.
at the time that
From this reading When it cools it grows almost as hard as diamond.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Not so good as you might think."
Chapter 5 of Black Silence by Robert Emmett McDowell holds 455 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 5 holds 455 sentences of Black Silence, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Black Silence by Robert Emmett McDowell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 455 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 5 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.
