Chapter 3 of The black drama is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The black drama is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Martha Vining cleared her throat. "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?" "It does," nodded Varduk. "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work." He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.
Chapter 3 of The black drama is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
past form of “bridle” — anger or take offense
From this reading “He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.”
possessive form of “byron” — English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
From this reading “"I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."”
serving as an essential component
From this reading “"Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"”
having received what was desired
From this reading “"I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."”
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading “"Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"”
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “"I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."”
speech you make to yourself
From this reading “"Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"”
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading “"I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."”
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.
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 "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
past form of “bridle” — anger or take offense
From this reading He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
possessive form of “byron” — English romantic poet notorious for his rebellious and unconventional lifestyle (1788-1824)
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
serving as an essential component
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading Martha Vining cleared her throat.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It does," nodded Varduk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
having received what was desired
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Martha Vining cleared her throat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It does," nodded Varduk.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Martha Vining cleared her throat.
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading "It does," nodded Varduk.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He paused, and she bridled in satisfaction.
speech you make to yourself
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading Martha Vining cleared her throat.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It does," nodded Varduk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Martha Vining cleared her throat.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Doesn't _Manfred_ begin with a long, measured soliloquy by the central character?"
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I am gratified, Miss Vining, to observe that you have been studying something of Byron's work."
Chapter 3 of The black drama by Manly Wade Wellman holds 420 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 3 holds 420 sentences of The black drama, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The black drama by Manly Wade Wellman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 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 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.
Common questions about reading The black drama by Manly Wade Wellman 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 The black drama section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The black drama 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 drama, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
