Chapter 1 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You have seen him," murmured the tall priest. "Now let us go back and wait for him. I will leave word." He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear. Then he went back with Father Anthony.
Chapter 1 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “Then he went back with Father Anthony.”
plural of “athlete” — a person trained to compete in sports
From this reading “He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.”
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “"You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.”
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading “"You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.”
having come into contact
From this reading “He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Now let us go back and wait for him.
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading Then he went back with Father Anthony.
plural of “athlete” — a person trained to compete in sports
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Now let us go back and wait for him.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Then he went back with Father Anthony.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Now let us go back and wait for him.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Now let us go back and wait for him.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I will leave word."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
go away from a place
From this reading I will leave word."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Now let us go back and wait for him.
the force of workers available
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now let us go back and wait for him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading "You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading "You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he went back with Father Anthony.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
having come into contact
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Now let us go back and wait for him.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "Now let us go back and wait for him.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then he went back with Father Anthony.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
which person or people
From this reading He touched one of the two or three men who were watching the athletes, and whispered his message in the other's ear.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will leave word."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then he went back with Father Anthony.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading I will leave word."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You have seen him," murmured the tall priest.
Chapter 1 of Riders of the Silences by Max Brand holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 98 sentences of Riders of the Silences, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Riders of the Silences by Max Brand exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Riders of the Silences by Max Brand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4417 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9867 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9867, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 368 minutes of reading across 884 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Riders of the Silences section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Riders of the Silences 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 Riders of the Silences, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
