Chapter 5 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 V
Chapter 5 of Murder in Black Letter is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was a good excuse to get his back up. "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre. "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table. "Scram!" The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.
Chapter 5 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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading “"Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.”
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading “"I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.”
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading “The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “It was a good excuse to get his back up.”
in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading “"Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.”
leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form
From this reading “"Scram!"”
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “"Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.”
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “"Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.”
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.
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.”
In this reading “"Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.”
temporarily
In this reading “The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.”
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 It was a good excuse to get his back up.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.
accept an excuse for
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.
in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
a particular point in time
From this reading The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form
From this reading "Scram!"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a good excuse to get his back up.
in or at the place that
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "Mother of God," whispered Guido frantically across the table.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I don't see where you have any authority in the matter," said Kintyre.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man stood droop-lidded for a moment, considering.
Chapter 5 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 5 holds 411 sentences of Murder in Black Letter, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 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 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 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.
