Chapter 12 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right. There isn't any half way about it. A thing is wrong or it is right, and that is all there is to it. But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right. They try to compromise.
Chapter 12 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 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.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.”
make a compromise; arrive at a compromise
From this reading “They try to compromise.”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.”
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading “But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.”
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading “But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “They try to compromise.”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.”
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 thing is wrong or it is right, and that is all there is to it.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There isn't any half way about it.
(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 A thing is wrong or it is right, and that is all there is to it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading There isn't any half way about it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
make a compromise; arrive at a compromise
From this reading They try to compromise.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading There isn't any half way about it.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There isn't any half way about it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There isn't any half way about it.
used to form the superlative
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A thing is wrong or it is right, and that is all there is to it.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
precisely, exactly
From this reading As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.
not in physical motion
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A thing is wrong or it is right, and that is all there is to it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There isn't any half way about it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
a special situation
From this reading A thing is wrong or it is right, and that is all there is to it.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A thing is wrong or it is right, and that is all there is to it.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading They try to compromise.
precisely as stated
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading There isn't any half way about it.
at the time that
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
a Caucasian
From this reading As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading But most people have hard work to see this when they want very much to do a thing that the still small voice way down inside tells them isn't right.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading As black is black and white is white, So wrong is wrong and right is right.
Chapter 12 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 44 sentences, grouped into 9 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 44 sentences of Blacky the Crow, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 44 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
