Chapter 5 of Valley of the Croen is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Valley of the Croen is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another. For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam. It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light. The beam danced after. It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
Chapter 5 of Valley of the Croen is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading “Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.”
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading “It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.”
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading “For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam.”
a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading “Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.”
with one side forward or to the front
From this reading “It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.”
in a systematic or consistent manner
From this reading “It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.”
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading “It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.”
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 Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
quickly and without warning
From this reading It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
later than; following
From this reading The beam danced after.
anew
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading The beam danced after.
something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate
From this reading For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.
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 Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.
a coat of arms that occupies one quarter of an escutcheon; combining four coats of arms on one shield usually represented intermarriages
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
a light source with reflectors that projects a beam of light in a particular direction
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading For an instant a huge disk showed in the beam.
with one side forward or to the front
From this reading It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
not in physical motion
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
in a systematic or consistent manner
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Suddenly the long beam of a searchlight lanced across the night sky above, then another and another.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading It tilted and drove abruptly sideways out of the light.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading It was not seen again, and still more beams winked on, began to search, systematically quartering the sky.
Chapter 5 of Valley of the Croen by Lee Tarbell holds 434 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 5 holds 434 sentences of Valley of the Croen, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Valley of the Croen by Lee Tarbell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 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 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 Valley of the Croen by Lee Tarbell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2216 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26010 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26010, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 184 minutes of reading across 444 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Valley of the Croen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 5 chapters of Valley of the Croen 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 Valley of the Croen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
