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Skull-face
Skull-face

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Skull-face is here in full — 506 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Skull-face
Context Illustration Reading 1/101 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!
And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."
"I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.
"Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.
"Kathulos' power is unlimited and unguessed.
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Skull-face

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of Skull-face is here in full — 506 sentences across 102 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/101 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!
/hɪz ˈʌltəmət eɪm ɪz ə blæk ˈempaɪər wɪð hɪmˈself æz ˈempərər ʌv ðə wɜːrld/
Line 2
And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."
/ənd tuː ðæt end hiː hæz ˈbændɪd təˈɡeðər ɪn wʌn ˈmɑːnstrəs kənˈspɪrəsi ðə blæk ðə braʊn ənd ðə ˈjeloʊ/
Line 3
"I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.
Line 4
"Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.
Line 5
"Kathulos' power is unlimited and unguessed.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Ali noun US /ˈɑːli/

United States prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)

From this reading “"I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.”

banded adjective US /ˈbændɪd/

identified with a band especially around a leg

From this reading “And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."”

conspiracy noun US /kənˈspɪrəsi/

a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act

From this reading “And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."”

monstrous adjective US /ˈmɑːnstrəs/

abnormally large

From this reading “And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."”

rapped verb US /ræpt/

inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply

From this reading “"Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.”

suppressed adjective US /səˈprest/

kept from public knowledge by various means

From this reading “"Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.”

ultimate adjective US /ˈʌltəmət/

furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme

From this reading “"His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!”

unlimited adjective US /ənˈlɪmətɪd/

having no limits in range or scope

From this reading “"Kathulos' power is unlimited and unguessed.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

suppressed excitement adjective + noun

In this reading “"Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

aimverbUS /eɪm/

point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

AlinounUS /ˈɑːli/

United States prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

bandedadjectiveUS /ˈbændɪd/

identified with a band especially around a leg

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

brownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

conspiracynounUS /kənˈspɪrəsi/

a secret agreement between two or more people to perform an unlawful act

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

emperornounUS /ˈempərər/

the male ruler of an empire

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

empirenounUS /ˈempaɪər/

the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

ExactlyadverbUS /ɪɡˈzæktli/

indicating exactness or preciseness

From this reading "Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.

excitementnounUS /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/

the feeling of lively and cheerful joy

From this reading "Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.

Gordon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

Kathulos

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Kathulos' power is unlimited and unguessed.

meantverbUS /ment/

inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

monstrousadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːnstrəs/

abnormally large

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

mutteredverbUS /ˈmʌtərd/

past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading "Kathulos' power is unlimited and unguessed.

rappedverbUS /ræpt/

inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply

From this reading "Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

suppressedadjectiveUS /səˈprest/

kept from public knowledge by various means

From this reading "Exactly," Gordon rapped with suppressed excitement.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

ultimateadjectiveUS /ˈʌltəmət/

furthest or highest in degree or order; utmost or extreme

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/

know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

unguessed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Kathulos' power is unlimited and unguessed.

unlimitedadjectiveUS /ənˈlɪmətɪd/

having no limits in range or scope

From this reading "Kathulos' power is unlimited and unguessed.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading "His ultimate aim is a black empire, with himself as emperor of the world!

yellowadjectiveUS /ˈjeloʊ/

of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk

From this reading And to that end he has banded together in one monstrous conspiracy the black, the brown and the yellow."

Yussef

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "I understand now what Yussef Ali meant when he said 'the days of the empire'," I muttered.

Chapter 3 of Skull-face by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard holds 506 sentences, grouped into 102 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.

What does chapter 3 of Skull-face contain?

Chapter 3 holds 506 sentences of Skull-face, unabridged, divided into 102 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Skull-face by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 506 sentences, grouped into 102 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.

How do I study chapter 3 of Skull-face?

Work through the 102 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 102 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.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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.

Questions about reading Skull-face

Common questions about reading Skull-face by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Skull-face?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Skull-face is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Skull-face take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Skull-face section by section

How to work through Skull-face section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Skull-face

Words and structures a reader meets early in Skull-face, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Skull-face, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Skull-face, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Skull-face, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.