Chapter 16 of The Black Cross is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Black Cross is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Fraeulein, Fraeulein--open the door! There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!" The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent. "Fraeulein! It is very strange, Herr Kapellmeister.
Chapter 16 of The Black Cross is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
plural of “blow” — a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
From this reading “The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.”
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading “The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.”
a German man; used before the name as a title equivalent to Mr in English
From this reading “It is very strange, Herr Kapellmeister.”
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.”
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading “The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.”
never-ceasing
From this reading “The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.”
become much greater in intensity or size or amount
From this reading “The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.”
dependable
From this reading “The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.”
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 There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
plural of “blow” — a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "Fraeulein, Fraeulein--open the door!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Fraeulein, Fraeulein--open the door!
a man of refinement
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
a German man; used before the name as a title equivalent to Mr in English
From this reading It is very strange, Herr Kapellmeister.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is very strange, Herr Kapellmeister.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is very strange, Herr Kapellmeister.
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "Fraeulein, Fraeulein--open the door!
never-ceasing
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
become much greater in intensity or size or amount
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
express in speech
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
dependable
From this reading The blows redoubled on the stout oak, growing louder and more persistent.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading It is very strange, Herr Kapellmeister.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Fraeulein, Fraeulein--open the door!
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
precisely as stated
From this reading It is very strange, Herr Kapellmeister.
which person or people
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading There is a gentleman here who would speak with you!--Fraeulein!"
Chapter 16 of The Black Cross by Olive M. (Olive Mary) Briggs holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 16 holds 197 sentences of The Black Cross, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Black Cross by Olive M. (Olive Mary) Briggs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 16 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 Cross by Olive M. (Olive Mary) Briggs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5261 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21259 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21259, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 438 minutes of reading across 1053 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Cross section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Black Cross 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 Cross, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
