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Blacky the Crow
Blacky the Crow

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 39 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Blacky the Crow
Context Illustration Reading 1/7 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.
--Blacky the Crow.
One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.
Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.
So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Blacky the Crow

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 39 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/7 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.
/ˈlɪtəl θɪŋz juː feɪl tuː siː meɪ ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt pruːv tuː biː/
Line 2
--Blacky the Crow.
Line 3
One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.
Line 4
Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.
/lɔːŋ əˈɡoʊ hiː lɜːrnd ðæt ˈlɪtəl θɪŋz wɪtʃ ɪn ðemˈselvz siːm ˈhɑːrmləs ənd nɑːt wɜːrθ ˈnoʊtɪsɪŋ meɪ təˈɡeðər pruːv ðə moʊst ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt θɪŋz ɪn laɪf/
Line 5
So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Crow verb US /kroʊ/

dwell on with satisfaction

From this reading “--Blacky the Crow.”

examines verb US /ɪɡˈzæmənz/

third-person singular of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

From this reading “So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.”

fails verb US /feɪlz/

third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading “One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.”

harmless adjective US /ˈhɑːrmləs/

not causing or capable of causing harm

From this reading “Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.”

noticing verb US /ˈnoʊtɪsɪŋ/

-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

From this reading “Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.”

remembers verb US /rɪˈmembərz/

third-person singular of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading “So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.”

secrets noun US /ˈsiːkrəts/

plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)

From this reading “One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.”

unimportant adjective US /ənɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

not important

From this reading “So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

appearverbUS /əˈpɪr/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

Blacky

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --Blacky the Crow.

Blacky's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

closelyadverbUS /ˈkloʊsli/

in a close relation or position in time or space

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

CrowverbUS /kroʊ/

dwell on with satisfaction

From this reading --Blacky the Crow.

examinesverbUS /ɪɡˈzæmənz/

third-person singular of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

failverbUS /feɪl/

fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

failsverbUS /feɪlz/

third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

harmlessadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrmləs/

not causing or capable of causing harm

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

importantadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

of great significance or value

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

learnedadjectiveUS /lɜːrnd/

having or showing profound knowledge

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

LittleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

LongadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

notenounUS /noʊt/

a brief written record

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

noticingverbUS /ˈnoʊtɪsɪŋ/

-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

proveverbUS /pruːv/

be shown or be found to be

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

remembersverbUS /rɪˈmembərz/

third-person singular of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

secretsnounUS /ˈsiːkrəts/

plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

seemverbUS /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

sharpadjectiveUS /ʃɑːrp/

(of something seen or heard) clearly defined

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

successnounUS /səkˈses/

an event that accomplishes its intended purpose

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading One of the secrets of Blacky's success in life is the fact that he never fails to take note of little things.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading --Blacky the Crow.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

thingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

unimportantadjectiveUS /ənɪmˈpɔːrtənt/

not important

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading So, no matter how unimportant a thing may appear, Blacky examines it closely with those sharp eyes of his and remembers it.

worthnounUS /wɜːrθ/

an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value

From this reading Long ago he learned that little things which in themselves seem harmless and not worth noticing may together prove the most important things in life.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Little things you fail to see May important prove to be.

Chapter 19 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 39 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.

What does chapter 19 of Blacky the Crow contain?

Chapter 19 holds 39 sentences of Blacky the Crow, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 39 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.

How do I study chapter 19 of Blacky the Crow?

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.

Can chapter 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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.

Questions about reading Blacky the Crow

Common questions about reading Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Blacky the Crow?

Yes. All 1472 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4979 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Blacky the Crow is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4979, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Blacky the Crow take to read?

About 122 minutes of reading across 295 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Blacky the Crow section by section

How to work through Blacky the Crow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 32 chapters of Blacky the Crow to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Blacky the Crow

Words and structures a reader meets early in Blacky the Crow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Blacky
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Blacky the Crow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Always
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Blacky the Crow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Watching
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Blacky the Crow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Things
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Blacky the Crow; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.