Chapter 2 of Signal in the Dark is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Signal in the Dark is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement. "Get her!" A car was coming slowly down the street. Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better. The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.
Chapter 2 of Signal in the Dark is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading “Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.”
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading “Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.”
informal intensifiers
From this reading “Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.”
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading “The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.”
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading “The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.”
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading “Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.”
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading “"Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.”
(used in the plural) pants for casual wear
From this reading “"Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.”
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 “The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.”
run away from confinement
In this reading “"Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.”
In this reading “A car was coming slowly down the street.”
In this reading “"Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.”
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 "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
in addition
From this reading The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
(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 Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading A car was coming slowly down the street.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading A car was coming slowly down the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A car was coming slowly down the street.
the operator of a motor vehicle
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
informal intensifiers
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
equally distant from the extremes
From this reading The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading The window of the rear seat also was halfway down.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
(used in the plural) pants for casual wear
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading A car was coming slowly down the street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading A car was coming slowly down the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A car was coming slowly down the street.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A car was coming slowly down the street.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Its driver, a woman, was watching the flaming building, and had rolled down the window glass to see better.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Don't let her get away!" shouted a woman in slacks, her voice shrill with excitement.
Chapter 2 of Signal in the Dark by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 2 holds 417 sentences of Signal in the Dark, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Signal in the Dark by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Signal in the Dark by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3785 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34850 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34850, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 315 minutes of reading across 757 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Signal in the Dark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Signal in the Dark 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 Signal in the Dark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
