Chapter 20 of Blackthorn Farm is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Blackthorn Farm is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PLANS FOR ESCAPE. Marjorie looked at her lover. He met her gaze fairly. But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before. She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.
Chapter 20 of Blackthorn Farm is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 escaping physically
From this reading “PLANS FOR ESCAPE.”
to certain extent or degree
From this reading “He met her gaze fairly.”
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.”
a long fixed look
From this reading “He met her gaze fairly.”
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading “Marjorie looked at her lover.”
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading “She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.”
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “He met her gaze fairly.”
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading “PLANS FOR ESCAPE.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
take into consideration for exemplifying purposes
In this reading “Marjorie looked at her lover.”
In this reading “She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.”
In this reading “PLANS FOR ESCAPE.”
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
In this reading “She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.”
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 she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Marjorie looked at her lover.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading PLANS FOR ESCAPE.
opinion or judgment
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading He met her gaze fairly.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading PLANS FOR ESCAPE.
a long fixed look
From this reading He met her gaze fairly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He met her gaze fairly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Marjorie looked at her lover.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Marjorie looked at her lover.
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading Marjorie looked at her lover.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marjorie looked at her lover.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading He met her gaze fairly.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading PLANS FOR ESCAPE.
cut with a saw
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
a special situation
From this reading But she saw fear in his eyes—a thing she had never seen there before.
up to a particular time
From this reading She knew he had never known the meaning of fear until now.
Chapter 20 of Blackthorn Farm by Arthur Applin holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 20 holds 197 sentences of Blackthorn Farm, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Blackthorn Farm by Arthur Applin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 20 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 Blackthorn Farm by Arthur Applin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5795 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42519 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42519, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 482 minutes of reading across 1159 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blackthorn Farm section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Blackthorn Farm 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 Blackthorn Farm, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
