Chapter 1 of Dark recess is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Dark recess is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson. "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly. Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in. Ava blinked. "What do you make of him?" she asked uncertainly.
Chapter 1 of Dark recess is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading “Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.”
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading “Ava blinked.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading “Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “"Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “"Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.”
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading “"Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.”
in an unsteady manner
From this reading “"Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.”
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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ava blinked.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading Ava blinked.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you make of him?" she asked uncertainly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What do you make of him?" she asked uncertainly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
engage in
From this reading "What do you make of him?" she asked uncertainly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What do you make of him?" she asked uncertainly.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What do you make of him?" she asked uncertainly.
a person, without saying who
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading "Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he nodded and left the office as abruptly as he had come in.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
in an unsteady manner
From this reading "Someone must be told, and I--" Redmond trailed off uncertainly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you make of him?" she asked uncertainly.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why are you telling me this?" asked Hanson.
Chapter 1 of Dark recess by George O. (George Oliver) Smith holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 1 holds 406 sentences of Dark recess, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Dark recess by George O. (George Oliver) Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 1 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 Dark recess by George O. (George Oliver) Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 810 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 67 minutes of reading across 162 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dark recess section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of Dark recess 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 Dark recess, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
