Chapter 4 of When It Was Dark is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of When It Was Dark is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way. Their feet echoed in the empty streets. Suddenly Schuabe turned to Basil. "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity. Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
Chapter 4 of When It Was Dark is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 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.
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading “Suddenly Schuabe turned to Basil.”
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading “THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.”
the first light of day
From this reading “THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “Their feet echoed in the empty streets.”
make void or empty of contents
From this reading “Their feet echoed in the empty streets.”
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading “Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"”
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “Their feet echoed in the empty streets.”
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading “THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.”
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.
In this reading “THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.”
In this reading “THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.”
In this reading “Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"”
In this reading “Their feet echoed in the empty streets.”
In this reading “THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.”
In this reading “THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading Suddenly Schuabe turned to Basil.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
the first light of day
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading Their feet echoed in the empty streets.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading Their feet echoed in the empty streets.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Their feet echoed in the empty streets.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
the act of departing
From this reading Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Their feet echoed in the empty streets.
the force of workers available
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly Schuabe turned to Basil.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
express in speech
From this reading Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Their feet echoed in the empty streets.
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly Schuabe turned to Basil.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their feet echoed in the empty streets.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Suddenly Schuabe turned to Basil.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Suddenly Schuabe turned to Basil.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
(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 "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading THE SMOKE CLOUD AT DAWN The two men strode along without speaking for some way.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Are you not going to speak the word in season after all?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, Mr. Gortre," he said, "I have given you your opportunity.
Chapter 4 of When It Was Dark by Guy Thorne holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 219 sentences of When It Was Dark, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of When It Was Dark by Guy Thorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 When It Was Dark by Guy Thorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6775 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39666 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39666, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 564 minutes of reading across 1355 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When It Was Dark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of When It Was Dark 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 When It Was Dark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
