Chapter 5 of The Night-Born is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Night-Born is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed? A beast is a beast, be it bull or horse. John Harned was mad. There is no other explanation. He was blood-mad, a beast himself.
Chapter 5 of The Night-Born is here in full — 215 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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 living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “A beast is a beast, be it bull or horse.”
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading “It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “There is no other explanation.”
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading “It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?”
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?”
roused to anger
From this reading “It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?”
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 A beast is a beast, be it bull or horse.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A beast is a beast, be it bull or horse.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading A beast is a beast, be it bull or horse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was blood-mad, a beast himself.
uncastrated adult male of domestic cattle
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading There is no other explanation.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was blood-mad, a beast himself.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He was blood-mad, a beast himself.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A beast is a beast, be it bull or horse.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
roused to anger
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
not any; not one
From this reading There is no other explanation.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A beast is a beast, be it bull or horse.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading There is no other explanation.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is no other explanation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
at the time that
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
but in spite of that
From this reading It was the scream of the horse that did it, yet why did not John Harned go mad when the bull was killed?
Chapter 5 of The Night-Born by Jack London holds 215 sentences, grouped into 43 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 5 holds 215 sentences of The Night-Born, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Night-Born by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 215 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 5 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 Night-Born by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4015 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1029 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1029, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 334 minutes of reading across 803 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Night-Born section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Night-Born 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 Night-Born, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
