Chapter 7 of The Black Bag is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Black Bag is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above. “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.” Kirkwood’s heart leaped in hope. “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness. “Brigantine, sir.”
Chapter 7 of The Black Bag is here in full — 419 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 mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading ““’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.””
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading ““’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.””
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft rigged on the mainmast
From this reading ““Brigantine, sir.””
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading ““’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.””
a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
From this reading ““What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.”
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Kirkwood’s heart leaped in hope.”
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading ““Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.”
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading ““What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.”
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 “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on the foremast and fore-and-aft rigged on the mainmast
From this reading “Brigantine, sir.”
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Kirkwood’s heart leaped in hope.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Kirkwood’s heart leaped in hope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Kirkwood’s heart leaped in hope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kirkwood’s heart leaped in hope.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Kirkwood’s heart leaped in hope.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
past form of “retort” — answer back
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
term of address for a man
From this reading “Brigantine, sir.”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “’E _was_ at anchor off Bow Creek larst night.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What sort of a vessel was she?” he asked, half rising in his eagerness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Best look sharp ’r yer won’t find ’im,” retorted the one above.
Chapter 7 of The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance holds 419 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 7 holds 419 sentences of The Black Bag, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Black Bag by Louis Joseph Vance exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 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 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 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.
