Chapter 20 of The Black Opal is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Black Opal is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them. His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks. "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped. Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question. "Old man Armitage!"
Chapter 20 of The Black Opal is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading “Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.”
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
From this reading “Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.”
a short vivid experience
From this reading “His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.”
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.”
possessive form of “michael” — (Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.”
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading “"Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.”
possessive form of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “"Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.”
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading “His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.”
In this reading “His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “"Old man Armitage!"”
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 Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Old man Armitage!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
placed crosswise
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
a short vivid experience
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Old man Armitage!"
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
possessive form of “michael” — (Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
a change of position that does not entail a change of location
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Old man Armitage!"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
above and across; more than
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
a light shade of red
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
possessive form of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
at the time that
From this reading Michael and Potch were finishing their tea when Watty burst in on them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Michael's movement and the shade of apprehension which crossed his face were a question.
which person or people
From this reading "Who d'y' think's come be motor to-day, Michael?" he gasped.
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading His colour was up, his small, blue eyes winking and flashing over his fat, pink cheeks.
Chapter 20 of The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 20 holds 208 sentences of The Black Opal, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 20 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 Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6229 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36710 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36710, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 519 minutes of reading across 1246 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Opal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Black Opal 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 Opal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
