Chapter III of Forbidden Cargoes, “A Strange Dark Room,” is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter III of Forbidden Cargoes, “A Strange Dark Room,” is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed. The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended. It broke the spell. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s see.”
Chapter III of Forbidden Cargoes, “A Strange Dark Room,” is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading “Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.”
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading “The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.”
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading “Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.”
breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.”
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.”
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.”
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading “It broke the spell.”
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 “The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.”
In this reading “The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.”
In this reading “Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
lacking funds
From this reading It broke the spell.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come on,” he said.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
the sound of laughing
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Let’s see.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Come on,” he said.
breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Come on,” he said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Let’s see.”
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading It broke the spell.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
Chapter 3 of Forbidden Cargoes by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 3 holds 163 sentences of Forbidden Cargoes, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Forbidden Cargoes by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 3 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 Forbidden Cargoes by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3831 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42728 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42728, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 319 minutes of reading across 767 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Forbidden Cargoes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Forbidden Cargoes 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 Forbidden Cargoes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
