Chapter 4 of The Cry at Midnight is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Cry at Midnight is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him. "That's not going to be easy." Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse. The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads. "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
Chapter 4 of The Cry at Midnight is here in full — 435 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
increase
From this reading “"If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.”
a deep fissure
From this reading “Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.”
an appendage to hold onto
From this reading “The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.”
a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading “The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “"First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.”
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading “"First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.”
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading “Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.”
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading “Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.”
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.
move out of or depart from
In this reading “"First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.”
In this reading “The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.”
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 The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "That's not going to be easy."
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
increase
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
a deep fissure
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading "That's not going to be easy."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
the act of departing
From this reading "That's not going to be easy."
an appendage to hold onto
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
engage in
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "That's not going to be easy."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
and nothing more
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's not going to be easy."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Eckenrod became sober as he studied the sharp walls of the crevasse.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "First we have to get out of here," Penny reminded him.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading The only possible handhold was a ledge well above their heads.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If you can boost me up, I think I can make it," Penny said.
Chapter 4 of The Cry at Midnight by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 435 sentences of The Cry at Midnight, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Cry at Midnight by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 435 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 Cry at Midnight by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3881 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34441 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34441, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 777 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cry at Midnight section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Cry at Midnight 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 Cry at Midnight, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
