Chapter 23 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying: "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it? He hunted the rest down one by one. Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left? Can you face that devil alone?"
Chapter 23 of Riders of the Silences is here in full — 239 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:”
demanding attention
From this reading “Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?”
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “Can you face that devil alone?"”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “"Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?”
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading “He hunted the rest down one by one.”
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading “Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “"Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?”
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 "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
Having no one else present.
From this reading Can you face that devil alone?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He hunted the rest down one by one.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you face that devil alone?"
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
demanding attention
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading Can you face that devil alone?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He hunted the rest down one by one.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Can you face that devil alone?"
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
the act of departing
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading He hunted the rest down one by one.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He hunted the rest down one by one.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?
capital of the state of South Dakota; located in central South Dakota on the Missouri river
From this reading Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading He hunted the rest down one by one.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Can you face that devil alone?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jacqueline ran between and caught the hand of her father, crying:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Dad, if you put out Pierre what is left?
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you going to finish the work of McGurk before he has a chance to start it?
Chapter 23 of Riders of the Silences by Max Brand holds 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 23 holds 239 sentences of Riders of the Silences, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Riders of the Silences by Max Brand exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 239 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 23 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.
