Chapter 31 of The Black Opal is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Black Opal is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut. "You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say. "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me.... It was you did for me.... It was you put it over on me--took those stones."
Chapter 31 of The Black Opal is here in full — 168 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading “"You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
temporary military shelter
From this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading “It was you put it over on me--took those stones."”
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 “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
In this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
to come or go into
In this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
In this reading “Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.”
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.
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading "You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It was you did for me....
remove the dust from
From this reading "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me....
opinion or judgment
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was you did for me....
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me....
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
temporary military shelter
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me....
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was you did for me....
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me....
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say.
the force of workers available
From this reading "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me....
(Old Testament) the guardian archangel of the Jews
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me....
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
above and across; more than
From this reading It was you put it over on me--took those stones."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It was you put it over on me--took those stones."
express in words
From this reading "You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading It was you put it over on me--took those stones."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading It was you put it over on me--took those stones."
propel through the air
From this reading "You may throw dust in the eyes of the men here, but you can't bluff me....
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading It was you put it over on me--took those stones."
in the direction of
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
at the time that
From this reading Charley was sitting on the couch, leaning towards Michael, his shoulders hunched, his eyes gleaming, when Potch went into the hut.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You can't bluff me," Potch heard him say.
Chapter 31 of The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard holds 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 31 holds 168 sentences of The Black Opal, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Black Opal by Katharine Susannah Prichard exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 168 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 31 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.
