Chapter 28 of The Black Opal is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of The Black Opal is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Are you there, Potch?" Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her. Michael looked up. He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands. "He's not here," he said.
Chapter 28 of The Black Opal is here in full — 184 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
temporary military shelter
From this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
possessive form of “michael” — (Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
the light of the Moon
From this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.”
indecision in speech or action
From this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
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 “He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.”
In this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
seek information from
In this reading “Michael looked up.”
In this reading “He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.”
In this reading “Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.”
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 Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you there, Potch?"
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He's not here," he said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "He's not here," he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
temporary military shelter
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Michael looked up.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading Michael looked up.
possessive form of “michael” — (Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
the light of the Moon
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "He's not here," he said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Are you there, Potch?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He's not here," he said.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Are you there, Potch?"
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Michael looked up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
indecision in speech or action
From this reading Sophie stood in the doorway of Michael's hut, a wavering shadow against the moonlight behind her.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading He was lying on the sofa under the window, a book in his hands.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you there, Potch?"
Chapter 28 of The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard holds 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 28 holds 184 sentences of The Black Opal, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 184 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 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.
