Chapter 4 of Skull-face is here in full — 496 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Skull-face is here in full — 496 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
* * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened. No sound broke the silence. Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room. This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life. I crossed it and went into the next one.
Chapter 4 of Skull-face is here in full — 496 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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.
covered with or as if with carpeting or with carpeting as specified; often used in combination
From this reading “* * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.”
plural of “couch” — an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.”
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading “* * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.”
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading “This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.”
plural of “rug” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading “This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.”
plural of “talon” — a sharp hooked claw especially on a bird of prey
From this reading “Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.”
spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue
From this reading “* * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.”
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 “This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.”
In this reading “Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.”
to come or go into
In this reading “I crossed it and went into the next one.”
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 Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
lacking funds
From this reading No sound broke the silence.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
covered with or as if with carpeting or with carpeting as specified; often used in combination
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
the dead body of a human being
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
plural of “couch” — an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
placed crosswise
From this reading I crossed it and went into the next one.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
(of pain or sorrow) made easier to bear
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
provided with whatever is necessary for a purpose (as furniture or equipment or authority)
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I crossed it and went into the next one.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
not any; not one
From this reading No sound broke the silence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I crossed it and went into the next one.
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
plural of “rug” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading No sound broke the silence.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading No sound broke the silence.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
in a stealthy manner
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
plural of “talon” — a sharp hooked claw especially on a bird of prey
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading * * * * * I eased his corpse to the thickly carpeted floor and listened.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I crossed it and went into the next one.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This was furnished in Oriental style, with couches and rugs and gold-worked drapery, but was empty of human life.
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading Stepping as stealthily as a wolf, fingers spread like talons, I stole into the next room.
Chapter 4 of Skull-face by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard holds 496 sentences, grouped into 100 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 496 sentences of Skull-face, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Skull-face by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 496 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 Skull-face by Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard 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 Skull-face section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Skull-face 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 Skull-face, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
