Chapter 1 of The Black Bag is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Black Bag is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Permit me to introduce an old friend. “I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly. The boat gathered impetus. He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting. Eccles “Hi, matey!” he blustered.
Chapter 1 of The Black Bag is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading ““I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.”
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading ““I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.”
Australian physiologist noted for his research on the conduction of impulses by nerve cells (1903-1997)
From this reading “Eccles “Hi, matey!” he blustered.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading ““I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.”
a force that moves something along
From this reading “The boat gathered impetus.”
cause to come to know personally
From this reading “Permit me to introduce an old friend.”
(used colloquially) having the relationship of friends or pals
From this reading “Eccles “Hi, matey!” he blustered.”
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading “Permit me to introduce an old friend.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Permit me to introduce an old friend.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting.
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading “I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eccles “Hi, matey!” he blustered.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading The boat gathered impetus.
a youthful male person
From this reading He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting.
lacking warmth of feeling; in a cold, unemotional manner
From this reading “I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.
Australian physiologist noted for his research on the conduction of impulses by nerve cells (1903-1997)
From this reading Eccles “Hi, matey!” he blustered.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Permit me to introduce an old friend.
brought together in one place
From this reading The boat gathered impetus.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting.
an expression of greeting
From this reading Eccles “Hi, matey!” he blustered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.
a force that moves something along
From this reading The boat gathered impetus.
cause to come to know personally
From this reading Permit me to introduce an old friend.
(used colloquially) having the relationship of friends or pals
From this reading Eccles “Hi, matey!” he blustered.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Permit me to introduce an old friend.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Permit me to introduce an old friend.
a legal document giving official permission to do something
From this reading Permit me to introduce an old friend.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The boat gathered impetus.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Permit me to introduce an old friend.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading He helped the boy to his feet, and stood waiting.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I’m awaiting your explanation,” she said coldly.
Chapter 1 of The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 1 holds 414 sentences of The Black Bag, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 1 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 The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5724 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9779 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9779, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 477 minutes of reading across 1145 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Bag section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Black Bag 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 The Black Bag, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
