Chapter 27 of The Silent Bullet is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Silent Bullet is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I was fascinated. It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it. Torreon stood blankly, in a daze. Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers. He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
Chapter 27 of The Silent Bullet is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 positively charged electrode by which electrons leave an electrical device
From this reading “He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.”
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading “Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.”
plural of “cadaver” — the dead body of a human being
From this reading “Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.”
a negatively charged electrode that is the source of electrons entering an electrical device
From this reading “He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.”
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading “Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.”
-ing form of “experiment” — to conduct a test or investigation
From this reading “Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.”
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
From this reading “It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.”
a city in northern Mexico to the west of Monterrey
From this reading “Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.”
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 Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
a positively charged electrode by which electrons leave an electrical device
From this reading He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
concerned with concrete problems or data rather than with fundamental principles
From this reading He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.
plural of “cadaver” — the dead body of a human being
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
make calm or still
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
a negatively charged electrode that is the source of electrons entering an electrical device
From this reading He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
-ing form of “experiment” — to conduct a test or investigation
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
opinion or judgment
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading I was fascinated.
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was fascinated.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
in motion
From this reading He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.
carry out
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He applied the current, moving the anode and the cathode slowly.
a city in northern Mexico to the west of Monterrey
From this reading Torreon stood blankly, in a daze.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was fascinated.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Craig was as calm as if his every-day work was experimenting on cadavers.
but in spite of that
From this reading It was gruesome, and yet I could not take my eyes off it.
Chapter 27 of The Silent Bullet by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 27 holds 193 sentences of The Silent Bullet, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Silent Bullet by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 27 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 Silent Bullet by Arthur B. (Arthur Benjamin) Reeve on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5837 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2454 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2454, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 486 minutes of reading across 1168 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silent Bullet section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Silent Bullet 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 Silent Bullet, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
