Chapter 28 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast. --Blacky the Crow. Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck. He was anxious, was Blacky. He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
Chapter 28 of Blacky the Crow is here in full — 53 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/10 · 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.
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading “--Blacky the Crow.”
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading “Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.”
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.”
a church congregation guided by a pastor
From this reading “He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.”
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading “Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.”
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading “Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.”
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading “Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.”
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 Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
eagerly desirous
From this reading He was anxious, was Blacky.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --Blacky the Crow.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
dwell on with satisfaction
From this reading --Blacky the Crow.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
lighted by or as if by twilight
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
a church congregation guided by a pastor
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
the act of grasping
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was anxious, was Blacky.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
-ing form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
immediately past
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Doubt not a friend, but to the last Grip hard on faith and hold it fast.
past form of “visit” — go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading Every morning Blacky the Crow visited the rushes along the shore of the Big River, hoping to find Dusky the Black Duck.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He feared that Dusky or some of his flock had been killed, and he wanted to know.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was anxious, was Blacky.
Chapter 28 of Blacky the Crow by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 28 holds 53 sentences of Blacky the Crow, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 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 53 sentences, grouped into 11 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 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 11 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 28 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.
