Chapter 7 of Black Oxen is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Black Oxen is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"My mother was a brunette." "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt. If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since. I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
Chapter 7 of Black Oxen is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
a reappearance of an earlier characteristic
From this reading “"Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.”
a person with dark (brown) hair
From this reading “"My mother was a brunette."”
plural of “columnist” — a journalist who writes editorials
From this reading “If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.”
in a northern direction
From this reading “I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .”
people who have retreated
From this reading “I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .”
a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
From this reading “I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .”
plural of “steppe” — extensive plain without trees (associated with eastern Russia and Siberia)
From this reading “I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .”
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading “I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .”
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 "My mother was a brunette."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
a reappearance of an earlier characteristic
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
a person with dark (brown) hair
From this reading "My mother was a brunette."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
an occurrence of something
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
plural of “columnist” — a journalist who writes editorials
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "My mother was a brunette."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My mother was a brunette."
not any; not one
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
in a northern direction
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
above and across; more than
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
people who have retreated
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
plural of “steppe” — extensive plain without trees (associated with eastern Russia and Siberia)
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I can see you sweeping northward over the steppes of Russia as the ice-caps retreated .
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My mother was a brunette."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading If I were as good a poet as one of my brother columnists I should have written a poem to you long since.
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh, yes, you are a case of atavism, no doubt.
Chapter 7 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 415 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 7 holds 415 sentences of Black Oxen, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 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 7 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.
