Chapter 4 of The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice: "Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly. You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows." Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart. Shame, self-reproach, could silence me no longer.
Chapter 4 of The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading “I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:”
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “"Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.”
an instrument of execution consisting of a wooden frame from which a condemned person is executed by hanging
From this reading “You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows."”
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading “Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.”
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “"Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.”
-ing form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.”
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading “Shame, self-reproach, could silence me no longer.”
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “"Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.”
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.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading “I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:”
In this reading “You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows."”
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 Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
react verbally
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading "Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows."
an instrument of execution consisting of a wooden frame from which a condemned person is executed by hanging
From this reading You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
for more time
From this reading Shame, self-reproach, could silence me no longer.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading "Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
not any; not one
From this reading Shame, self-reproach, could silence me no longer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows."
-ing form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
Identical; not different.
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
From this reading Shame, self-reproach, could silence me no longer.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows."
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading Shame, self-reproach, could silence me no longer.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Shame, self-reproach, could silence me no longer.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I did not, could not answer him, and so he went on in the same low, crushing voice:
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Those words to me were like the plunging of a knife into my heart.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Yes, Michael, you have failed me utterly.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You have placed your father in the shadow of the gallows."
Chapter 4 of The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion by W. Bourne Cooke holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 410 sentences of The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion by W. Bourne Cooke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion by W. Bourne Cooke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3642 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #53641 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #53641, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 303 minutes of reading across 729 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Black Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion 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 Box: A Tale of Monmouth's Rebellion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
