Chapter 17 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer. --Blacky the Crow. Blacky the Crow may be right. Again he may not be. If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
Chapter 17 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 43 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.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading “If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.”
rid of obstructions
From this reading “This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.”
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading “--Blacky the Crow.”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.”
a special situation
From this reading “This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.”
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading “This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.”
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 This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
anew
From this reading Again he may not be.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Blacky the Crow may be right.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --Blacky the Crow.
rid of obstructions
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading --Blacky the Crow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Again he may not be.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Blacky the Crow may be right.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Blacky the Crow may be right.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading --Blacky the Crow.
a special situation
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
precisely as stated
From this reading This much to me is very clear: A thing not understood is queer.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading If he is right, it will account for a lot of the queer people in the world.
Chapter 17 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 43 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 17 holds 43 sentences of Blacky the Crow, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 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 43 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 17 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.
