Chapter 7 of Signal in the Dark is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Signal in the Dark is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?" "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way. However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days. It shouldn't be so hard to trace him. I'll get busy tomorrow."
Chapter 7 of Signal in the Dark is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “"He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.”
United States lawyer and politician who advocated free silver and prosecuted John Scopes (1925) for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school (1860-1925)
From this reading “"Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “"Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “"He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.”
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading “"Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"”
make reference to
From this reading “"He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.”
the day after today
From this reading “I'll get busy tomorrow."”
a just detectable amount
From this reading “It shouldn't be so hard to trace him.”
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 “However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.”
In this reading “"He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.”
simultaneously
In this reading “"He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.”
In this reading “"He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.”
In this reading “However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.”
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.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It shouldn't be so hard to trace him.
for the reason that
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
United States lawyer and politician who advocated free silver and prosecuted John Scopes (1925) for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school (1860-1925)
From this reading "Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading I'll get busy tomorrow."
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading "Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I'll get busy tomorrow."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It shouldn't be so hard to trace him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll get busy tomorrow."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It shouldn't be so hard to trace him.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading "Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"
make reference to
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
not any; not one
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It shouldn't be so hard to trace him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It shouldn't be so hard to trace him.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading However, he expected to stay in Riverview several days.
the day after today
From this reading I'll get busy tomorrow."
a just detectable amount
From this reading It shouldn't be so hard to trace him.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "He didn't mention the name of his hotel, because at the time he called at my office, I had no thought I could assist him in any way.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where is Major Bryan now, Dad?"
Chapter 7 of Signal in the Dark by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 7 holds 429 sentences of Signal in the Dark, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Signal in the Dark by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 7 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.
