Chapter 2 of Black Oxen is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Black Oxen is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I do. But I'm a man. We always did stray a bit. But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago! Why, New York Society was a Club.
Chapter 2 of Black Oxen is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
in the past
From this reading “But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!”
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading “We always did stray a bit.”
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading “Why, New York Society was a Club.”
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “Why, New York Society was a Club.”
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading “Why, New York Society was a Club.”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “We always did stray a bit.”
a late time of life
From this reading “But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!”
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “Why, New York Society was a Club.”
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 But I'm a man.
in the past
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading We always did stray a bit.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading We always did stray a bit.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I'm a man.
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading Why, New York Society was a Club.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading We always did stray a bit.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I do.
tendency to associate with only a select group
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I'm a man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But I'm a man.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Why, New York Society was a Club.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
and nothing more
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading Why, New York Society was a Club.
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading We always did stray a bit.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why, New York Society was a Club.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We always did stray a bit.
at the time that
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, New York Society was a Club.
a late time of life
From this reading But when I think of the exclusiveness of only a few years ago!
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Why, New York Society was a Club.
Chapter 2 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 2 holds 412 sentences of Black Oxen, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 2 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 Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25542 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25542, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1805 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Black Oxen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Black Oxen 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 Black Oxen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
