Chapter XIII of Whispers at Dawn, “So Long as God Gives Us Breath,” is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter XIII of Whispers at Dawn, “So Long as God Gives Us Breath,” is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack. He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message. "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns. "It seemed to come right out of the sky!" "And why not?"
Chapter XIII of Whispers at Dawn, “So Long as God Gives Us Breath,” is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading “"What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.”
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading “That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.”
to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading “That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.”
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading “That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.”
“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 “That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.”
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading “That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.”
one who speaks in a whisper
From this reading “He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.”
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 “That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.”
to consider or examine in speech or writing
In this reading “He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.”
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 "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "It seemed to come right out of the sky!"
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.
to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It seemed to come right out of the sky!"
“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 That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
engage in
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "And why not?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "It seemed to come right out of the sky!"
above and across; more than
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "It seemed to come right out of the sky!"
Identical; not different.
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "It seemed to come right out of the sky!"
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading "It seemed to come right out of the sky!"
in the near future
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
a special situation
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That same morning as soon as he could gulp down his coffee, Johnny hastened over to the shack.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
one who speaks in a whisper
From this reading He was full of talk about the whisperer and his message.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "And why not?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you make of a thing like that?" he demanded of Captain Burns.
Chapter 13 of Whispers at Dawn by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 13 holds 166 sentences of Whispers at Dawn, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Whispers at Dawn by Roy J. (Roy Judson) Snell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 13 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.
