Chapter 5 of The Night Operator is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 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 Operator is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!" He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan. "God bless the man!" blurted out Regan. And then, to the doctor: "Will he live?" "Oh, yes; I think so," the doctor answered.
Chapter 5 of The Night Operator is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
give a benediction to
From this reading “"God bless the man!" blurted out Regan.”
past form of “blurt” — utter impulsively
From this reading “"God bless the man!" blurted out Regan.”
biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow
From this reading “He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.”
any strong feeling
From this reading “He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.”
to a considerable degree
From this reading “"A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"”
either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh
From this reading “He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.”
a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools
From this reading “He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.”
in an unsteady manner
From this reading “He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.”
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.
a pocket in rear of trousers
In this reading “He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.”
utter impulsively
In this reading “"God bless the man!" blurted out Regan.”
In this reading “"A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"”
In this reading “He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.”
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 blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Oh, yes; I think so," the doctor answered.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
give a benediction to
From this reading "God bless the man!" blurted out Regan.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
past form of “blurt” — utter impulsively
From this reading "God bless the man!" blurted out Regan.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
biting and grinding food in your mouth so it becomes soft enough to swallow
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading And then, to the doctor: "Will he live?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
any strong feeling
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "God bless the man!" blurted out Regan.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
to a considerable degree
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Oh, yes; I think so," the doctor answered.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading And then, to the doctor: "Will he live?"
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
a craftsman skilled in operating machine tools
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, yes; I think so," the doctor answered.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "God bless the man!" blurted out Regan.
above and across; more than
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "A blind man could see it," said Regan heavily, "but--Sammy Durgan!"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Oh, yes; I think so," the doctor answered.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Oh, yes; I think so," the doctor answered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And then, to the doctor: "Will he live?"
in the direction of
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
in an unsteady manner
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And then, to the doctor: "Will he live?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading He reached uncertainly toward his hip pocket for his chewing--and then, with sudden emotion, the big-hearted, fat, little master mechanic bent over Sammy Durgan.
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh, yes; I think so," the doctor answered.
Chapter 5 of The Night Operator by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 5 holds 405 sentences of The Night Operator, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Night Operator by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Operator by Frank L. (Frank Lucius) Packard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4815 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33634, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 401 minutes of reading across 963 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Night Operator section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Night Operator 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 Operator, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
