Chapter 16 of Black Oxen is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Black Oxen is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich. It was possible that she was not in on the baiting. "Abominable. What must she think of us? Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
Chapter 16 of Black Oxen is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 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.
unequivocally detestable
From this reading “"But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.”
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading “"But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.”
harassment especially of a tethered animal
From this reading “It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.”
exceedingly bad
From this reading “Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “"But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.”
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.”
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.
unequivocally detestable
From this reading "But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading "But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.
harassment especially of a tethered animal
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.
exceedingly bad
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading What must she think of us?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What must she think of us?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
by chance
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading What must she think of us?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "But this is abominable," murmured Anne Goodrich.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Or, perhaps they don't really mean to be horrid.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What must she think of us?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was possible that she was not in on the baiting.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What must she think of us?
Chapter 16 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 16 holds 417 sentences of Black Oxen, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Black Oxen by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 16 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.
