Chapter 9 of Murder in Black Letter is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Murder in Black Letter is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He had taken her for Morna last night. "What happened?" she asked. Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to. "A typhoon and a lee shore," he said. "I was the only survivor."
Chapter 9 of Murder in Black Letter is here in full — 398 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “"What happened?" she asked.”
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading “"A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.”
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading “"A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.”
one who lives through affliction
From this reading “"I was the only survivor."”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.”
a tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans
From this reading “"A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.”
except if; if not
From this reading “Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.”
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 “He had taken her for Morna last night.”
In this reading “"A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.”
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 "A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.
react verbally
From this reading Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What happened?" she asked.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had taken her for Morna last night.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had taken her for Morna last night.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "What happened?" she asked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had taken her for Morna last night.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He had taken her for Morna last night.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was the only survivor."
immediately past
From this reading He had taken her for Morna last night.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading "A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken her for Morna last night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He had taken her for Morna last night.
and nothing more
From this reading "I was the only survivor."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What happened?" she asked.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading "A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.
one who lives through affliction
From this reading "I was the only survivor."
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He had taken her for Morna last night.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I was the only survivor."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.
a tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific or Indian oceans
From this reading "A typhoon and a lee shore," he said.
except if; if not
From this reading Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Her tone said that he needn't answer unless he wanted to.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was the only survivor."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What happened?" she asked.
Chapter 9 of Murder in Black Letter by Poul Anderson holds 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 9 holds 398 sentences of Murder in Black Letter, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Murder in Black Letter by Poul Anderson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 398 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 9 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.
