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Black Oxen
Black Oxen

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Black Oxen is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.
--_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.
(_Screen version of "The Black Oxen."_) .
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Black Oxen

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Black Oxen is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.
Line 2
--_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.
Line 3
(_Screen version of "The Black Oxen."_) .
/skriːn ˈvɜːrʒən ʌv ðə blæk ˈɑːksən/
Line 4
Line 5

Learner Dictionary

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.

Griffith noun US /ˈɡrɪfəθ/

United States film maker who was the first to use flashbacks and fade-outs (1875-1948)

From this reading “--_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.”

Guise noun US /ɡaɪz/

an artful or simulated semblance

From this reading “--_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.”

Oxen noun US /ˈɑːksən/

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age

From this reading “The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.”

Screen noun US /skriːn/

a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing

tread verb US /tred/

put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading “The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.”

Trent noun US /trent/

a river in central England that flows generally northeastward to join with the Ouse River and form the Humber

From this reading “--_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.”

version noun US /ˈvɜːrʒən/

an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint

From this reading “(_Screen version of "The Black Oxen."_) .”

Yeats noun US /jeɪts/

Irish poet and dramatist (1865-1939)

From this reading “--_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

BnounUS /biː/

aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

BlackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

buriedadjectiveUS /ˈberid/

placed in a grave

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

charmingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɑːrmɪŋ/

pleasing or delighting

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

Clavering

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

Conway

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

Corinne

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

departurenounUS /dɪˈpɑːrtʃər/

the act of departing

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

endedadjectiveUS /ˈendəd/

having come or been brought to a conclusion

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

goads

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

GreatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

GriffithnounUS /ˈɡrɪfəθ/

United States film maker who was the first to use flashbacks and fade-outs (1875-1948)

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

GuisenounUS /ɡaɪz/

an artful or simulated semblance

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

herdsmannoun

someone who drives a herd

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

JudgeverbUS /dʒʌdʒ/

determine the result of (a competition)

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

MadamenounUS /ˈmædəm/

title used for a married Frenchwoman

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

OxennounUS /ˈɑːksən/

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

ScreennounUS /skriːn/

a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing

From this reading (_Screen version of "The Black Oxen."_) .

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

Tearle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

tete-e-tete

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

TheirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

treadverbUS /tred/

put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

TrentnounUS /trent/

a river in central England that flows generally northeastward to join with the Ouse River and form the Humber

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

versionnounUS /ˈvɜːrʒən/

an interpretation of a matter from a particular viewpoint

From this reading (_Screen version of "The Black Oxen."_) .

WnounUS /ˈdʌbəljuː/

a heavy grey-white metallic element; the pure form is used mainly in electrical applications; it is found in several ores including wolframite and scheelite

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading The years like Great Black Oxen tread the world And God the herdsman goads them on behind.

YeatsnounUS /jeɪts/

Irish poet and dramatist (1865-1939)

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

Zattiany's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --_W. B. Yeats._ Their tete-e-tete ended, Clavering (Conway Tearle) was about to make his departure when Judge Trent (Tom Guise), who held buried in his mind the secret of the charming Madame Zattiany's (Corinne Griffith), entered.

Chapter 1 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

What does chapter 1 of Black Oxen contain?

Chapter 1 holds 400 sentences of Black Oxen, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of Black Oxen?

Work through the 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 80 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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.

Questions about reading Black Oxen

Common questions about reading Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Black Oxen?

Yes. All 9023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25542 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Black Oxen is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #25542, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Black Oxen take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1805 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Black Oxen section by section

How to work through Black Oxen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 22 chapters of Black Oxen to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Black Oxen

Words and structures a reader meets early in Black Oxen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Years
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Black Oxen; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Great
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Black Oxen; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Black
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Black Oxen; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tread
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Black Oxen; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.