Chapter 2 of Murder in Black Letter is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Murder in Black Letter is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair. "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge." "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him. She crossed the room and snapped the light switch. The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
Chapter 2 of Murder in Black Letter is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “"I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.”
placed crosswise
From this reading “She crossed the room and snapped the light switch.”
used as expletives
From this reading “"I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.”
unpleasantly stern
From this reading “The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.”
a spread made chiefly from vegetable oils and used as a substitute for butter
From this reading “"I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."”
the amount of electromagnetic radiation leaving or arriving at a point on a surface
From this reading “The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.”
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading “She crossed the room and snapped the light switch.”
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading “She crossed the room and snapped the light switch.”
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 “"I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.”
In this reading “"I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.”
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 "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
the two together, not just one
From this reading The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
placed crosswise
From this reading She crossed the room and snapped the light switch.
used as expletives
From this reading "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.
divisible by two
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
set up or found
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She crossed the room and snapped the light switch.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
a spread made chiefly from vegetable oils and used as a substitute for butter
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
the amount of electromagnetic radiation leaving or arriving at a point on a surface
From this reading The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She crossed the room and snapped the light switch.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.
be seated
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading She crossed the room and snapped the light switch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
change over, change around, as to a new order or sequence
From this reading She crossed the room and snapped the light switch.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "I don't give a four-lettering damn about the world," she told him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sudden radiance was harsh to them, they both squinted.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "I wonder--" Kintyre remembered not to sit on the couch; he found a chair.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I wonder if the world may not have lost even more than you and I, Marge."
Chapter 2 of Murder in Black Letter by Poul Anderson holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of Murder in Black Letter, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Murder in Black Letter by Poul Anderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Murder in Black Letter by Poul Anderson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5289 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59369 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59369, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 440 minutes of reading across 1058 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Murder in Black Letter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Murder in Black Letter 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 Murder in Black Letter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
