Chapter 4 of Scream at midnight is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Scream at midnight is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them. Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically. The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions. As darkness closed in, someone lit a fire. In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.
Chapter 4 of Scream at midnight is here in full — 447 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/89 · 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.
any property detected by the olfactory system
From this reading “In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.”
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading “Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.”
in an idiotic manner
From this reading “Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “As darkness closed in, someone lit a fire.”
Irish version of burgoo
From this reading “In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.”
past form of “spice” — make more interesting or flavorful
From this reading “In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.”
be in a huff; be silent or sullen
From this reading “In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.”
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 “In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.”
In this reading “In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.”
look about oneself
In this reading “In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.”
In this reading “The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.”
In this reading “The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.”
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 In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
react verbally
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
any property detected by the olfactory system
From this reading In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As darkness closed in, someone lit a fire.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading As darkness closed in, someone lit a fire.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading As darkness closed in, someone lit a fire.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
start firing a weapon
From this reading As darkness closed in, someone lit a fire.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.
in an idiotic manner
From this reading Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
provided with artificial light
From this reading As darkness closed in, someone lit a fire.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
Irish version of burgoo
From this reading In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
and nothing more
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Ralph hovered at her side, grinning idiotically.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
a person, without saying who
From this reading As darkness closed in, someone lit a fire.
past form of “spice” — make more interesting or flavorful
From this reading In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.
be in a huff; be silent or sullen
From this reading In a few minutes the aroma of mulligan stew spiced the air.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In a few minutes she felt so much better, she sat up and looked around at them.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
but in spite of that
From this reading The rest of them only smiled at her, understanding that she did not yet wish to answer questions.
Chapter 4 of Scream at midnight by Joseph Payne Brennan holds 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 4 holds 447 sentences of Scream at midnight, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Scream at midnight by Joseph Payne Brennan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 447 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 4 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 Scream at midnight by Joseph Payne Brennan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Scream at midnight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Scream at midnight 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 Scream at midnight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
