Chapter 12 of Black Oxen is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Black Oxen is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It is one of the formulae." "It is the most difficult of all--that beginning." And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly. "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere." And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
Chapter 12 of Black Oxen is here in full — 422 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.”
at or in or to any place
From this reading “"Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."”
closed or squeezed together tightly
From this reading “And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.”
plural of “formula” — a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement
From this reading “"It is one of the formulae."”
possessive form of “god” — 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 “And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"”
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading “And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.”
put in the mind of someone
From this reading “"Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "It is the most difficult of all--that beginning."
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
at or in or to any place
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading "It is the most difficult of all--that beginning."
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
closed or squeezed together tightly
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
without stop or interruption
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "It is the most difficult of all--that beginning."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
plural of “formula” — a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement
From this reading "It is one of the formulae."
possessive form of “god” — 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 And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is one of the formulae."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is one of the formulae."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
used to form the superlative
From this reading "It is the most difficult of all--that beginning."
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It is one of the formulae."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "It is one of the formulae."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
put in the mind of someone
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
express in words
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
to a small degree or extent
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
in or at or to some place
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It is the most difficult of all--that beginning."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It is one of the formulae."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then as she continued silent, he burst out: "For God's sake, say it!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
a state of motor and mental inactivity with a partial suspension of sensibility
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading And although she had announced the torpidity of her nerves, her hands clenched and her voice shook slightly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Let me remind you that to begin anywhere you've got to begin somewhere."
Chapter 12 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 12 holds 422 sentences of Black Oxen, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 422 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 12 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.
