Chapter 4 of Whispers at Dawn is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Whispers at Dawn is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good. But his return to consciousness was gradual. He began to hear things dimly as in a dream. There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night. This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.
Chapter 4 of Whispers at Dawn is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading “But his return to consciousness was gradual.”
in a dim indistinct manner
From this reading “He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.”
proceeding in small stages
From this reading “But his return to consciousness was gradual.”
compatibility in opinion and action
From this reading “There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.”
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading “There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.”
a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function
From this reading “There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.”
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading “BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.”
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.
sporadically and infrequently
In this reading “This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.”
In this reading “BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.”
In this reading “There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.”
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 He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But his return to consciousness was gradual.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading But his return to consciousness was gradual.
in a dim indistinct manner
From this reading He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
proceeding in small stages
From this reading But his return to consciousness was gradual.
compatibility in opinion and action
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But his return to consciousness was gradual.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading But his return to consciousness was gradual.
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.
with low volume
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a certain melody and harmony about the sounds, like a pipe organ played softly at night.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading He began to hear things dimly as in a dream.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading This was shot through at times by a loud pop-pop-crack.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But his return to consciousness was gradual.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BACK IN THE OLD SHACK Johnny was not out for good.
Chapter 4 of Whispers at Dawn by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 171 sentences of Whispers at Dawn, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Whispers at Dawn by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Whispers at Dawn by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3942 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43677 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43677, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Whispers at Dawn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Whispers at Dawn 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 Whispers at Dawn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
