Chapter 12 of The Black Box is here in full — 604 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Black Box is here in full — 604 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'NEATH IRON WHEELS 1. Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them. For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence. "Oh, but it's good to see home again!" Laura sighed at last.
Chapter 12 of The Black Box is here in full — 604 sentences across 121 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/120 · 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.
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading “For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.”
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.”
prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use
From this reading “For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.”
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading “Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Laura sighed at last.”
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading “Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.”
a developmental process
From this reading “Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.”
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading “'NEATH IRON WHEELS 1.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'NEATH IRON WHEELS 1.
anew
From this reading "Oh, but it's good to see home again!"
(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 For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Oh, but it's good to see home again!"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Oh, but it's good to see home again!"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Oh, but it's good to see home again!"
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading 'NEATH IRON WHEELS 1.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, but it's good to see home again!"
immediately past
From this reading Laura sighed at last.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Laura sighed at last.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'NEATH IRON WHEELS 1.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, but it's good to see home again!"
above and across; more than
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Oh, but it's good to see home again!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Laura sighed at last.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
a clam that is usually steamed in the shell
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For some time they had all preserved an almost ecstatic silence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Oh, but it's good to see home again!"
a developmental process
From this reading Side by side they leaned over the rail of the steamer and gazed shorewards at the slowly unfolding scene before them.
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading 'NEATH IRON WHEELS 1.
Chapter 12 of The Black Box by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 604 sentences, grouped into 121 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 12 holds 604 sentences of The Black Box, unabridged, divided into 121 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Black Box by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 604 sentences, grouped into 121 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 121 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 121 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 The Black Box by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8944 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17197 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17197, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Box section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of The Black Box 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 The Black Box, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
