Chapter 2 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre. "Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse. May I take him?" "Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands. But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
Chapter 2 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 133 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
being very thin
From this reading “"Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands.”
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading “Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.”
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading “Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.”
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading “Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.”
plural of “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 “Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.”
a soft sheepskin leather that is colored and finished to resemble morocco; used in bookbinding
From this reading “"Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.”
a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
From this reading “"Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse.”
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 Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands.
being very thin
From this reading "Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands.
a youthful male person
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading May I take him?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading "Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading May I take him?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May I take him?"
characterized by or capable of producing music
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands.
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading "Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands.
plural of “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 Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading "Pierre!" and the priest reached out his bony hands.
a soft sheepskin leather that is colored and finished to resemble morocco; used in bookbinding
From this reading "Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading "Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse.
carry out
From this reading May I take him?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading But the boy did not seem to notice or to understand.
a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
From this reading "Father Victor, the roan is a strong horse.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then came a voice that startled the two priests, for it seemed that a fourth man had entered the room, so changed was it from the musical voice of Pierre.
Chapter 2 of Riders of the Silences by Max Brand holds 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 2 holds 133 sentences of Riders of the Silences, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Riders of the Silences by Max Brand exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 133 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 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.
