Chapter 3 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 III
Chapter 3 of Black Oxen is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment. Clavering shrugged his shoulders. He had no intention of communicating his own doubts. "But you'll dine there tonight?" "Won't I?
Chapter 3 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.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading “They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.”
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading “He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.”
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading “"But you'll dine there tonight?"”
plural of “doubt” — the state of being unsure of something
From this reading “He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.”
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading “They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “Clavering shrugged his shoulders.”
On the present night.
From this reading “"But you'll dine there tonight?"”
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 They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But you'll dine there tonight?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clavering shrugged his shoulders.
a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
have supper; eat dinner
From this reading "But you'll dine there tonight?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
plural of “doubt” — the state of being unsure of something
From this reading He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Clavering shrugged his shoulders.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Won't I?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
a form of address for a man
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
not any; not one
From this reading He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He had no intention of communicating his own doubts.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Clavering shrugged his shoulders.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading Clavering shrugged his shoulders.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "But you'll dine there tonight?"
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
On the present night.
From this reading "But you'll dine there tonight?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
in or at the place that
From this reading They were seated in a corner of Mr. Dinwiddie's favorite club, where they had met by appointment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Won't I?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But you'll dine there tonight?"
Chapter 3 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 3 holds 412 sentences of Black Oxen, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 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 3 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.
