Chapter 8 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
No one can live just for self alone. A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken. They are making one of the greatest mistakes in the world. Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else. That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.
Chapter 8 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
plural of “affect” — the conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion
From this reading “Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.”
the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
From this reading “That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.”
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading “A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.”
plural of “mistake” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading “They are making one of the greatest mistakes in the world.”
possessive form of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading “That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.”
your consciousness of your own identity
From this reading “No one can live just for self alone.”
(used informally) very small
From this reading “Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.”
(used informally) very small
From this reading “Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.”
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 A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
plural of “affect” — the conscious subjective aspect of feeling or emotion
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
Having no one else present.
From this reading No one can live just for self alone.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading No one can live just for self alone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading No one can live just for self alone.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.
highest in quality
From this reading They are making one of the greatest mistakes in the world.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They are making one of the greatest mistakes in the world.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
and nothing more
From this reading No one can live just for self alone.
the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
From this reading That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading No one can live just for self alone.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading They are making one of the greatest mistakes in the world.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
plural of “mistake” — a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading They are making one of the greatest mistakes in the world.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
possessive form of “nature” — the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.
not any; not one
From this reading No one can live just for self alone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one can live just for self alone.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
your consciousness of your own identity
From this reading No one can live just for self alone.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
(used informally) very small
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is one of Old Mother Nature's great laws.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They are making one of the greatest mistakes in the world.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
precisely as stated
From this reading A lot of people think they can, but they are very much mistaken.
(used informally) very small
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Every teeny, weeny act, no matter what it is, affects somebody else.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading They are making one of the greatest mistakes in the world.
Chapter 8 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 holds 40 sentences of Blacky the Crow, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 8 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 Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1472 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4979 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4979, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 122 minutes of reading across 295 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blacky the Crow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Blacky the Crow 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 Blacky the Crow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
