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The Witch of Salem
The Witch of Salem

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Witch of Salem is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By John R. (John Roy) Musick • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Witch of Salem
Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"YOUR MOTHER A WITCH."
'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.
There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.
There is nothing here that speaks of death.
--Bryant.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Witch of Salem

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Witch of Salem is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"YOUR MOTHER A WITCH."
/jɔːr ˈmʌðər ə wɪtʃ/
Line 2
'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.
Line 3
There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.
Line 4
There is nothing here that speaks of death.
/ðer ɪz ˈnʌθɪŋ hiːr ðæt spiːks ʌv deθ/
Line 5
--Bryant.

Learner Dictionary

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.

bee noun US /biː/

any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species

From this reading “'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bleak adjective US /bliːk/

offering little or no hope

From this reading “'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chirp verb US /tʃɜːrp/

make high-pitched sounds

From this reading “'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flock noun US /flɑːk/

a church congregation guided by a pastor

From this reading “There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
glen noun US /ɡlen/

a narrow secluded valley (in the mountains)

From this reading “'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hum verb US /hʌm/

sing with closed lips

From this reading “'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
witch noun US /wɪtʃ/

a female sorcerer or magician

From this reading “"YOUR MOTHER A WITCH."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wren noun US /ren/

English architect who designed more than fifty London churches (1632-1723)

From this reading “'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

hum of verb + particle

In this reading “'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.”

4,358 times in 426,212 chapters
from the west preposition + article + noun counted as “from … west”

In this reading “There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.”

3,918 times in 426,212 chapters
on the rock preposition + article + noun counted as “on … rock”

In this reading “There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.”

9,081 times in 426,212 chapters
dash of verb + particle

In this reading “'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.”

2,864 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "YOUR MOTHER A WITCH."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beachnounUS /biːtʃ/

an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenounUS /biː/

any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bellnounUS /bel/

a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bleakadjectiveUS /bliːk/

offering little or no hope

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
brightadjectiveUS /braɪt/

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
brooknounUS /brʊk/

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Bryant

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading --Bryant.

Pending verification
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
chirpverbUS /tʃɜːrp/

make high-pitched sounds

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cooladjectiveUS /kuːl/

neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dashverbUS /dæʃ/

run or move very quickly or hastily

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading There is nothing here that speaks of death.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
flocknounUS /flɑːk/

a church congregation guided by a pastor

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
free-wind's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

Pending verification
freshadjectiveUS /freʃ/

recently made, produced, or harvested

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
glennounUS /ɡlen/

a narrow secluded valley (in the mountains)

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greennounUS /ɡriːn/

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading There is nothing here that speaks of death.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
humverbUS /hʌm/

sing with closed lips

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
liesnounUS /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mid-day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

Pending verification
MOTHERnounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading "YOUR MOTHER A WITCH."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading There is nothing here that speaks of death.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/

advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
rocknounUS /rɑːk/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scatteredadjectiveUS /ˈskætərd/

occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shadenounUS /ʃeɪd/

relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soundnounUS /saʊnd/

the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
speaksverbUS /spiːks/

third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech

From this reading There is nothing here that speaks of death.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
summernounUS /ˈsʌmər/

the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There is nothing here that speaks of death.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is nothing here that speaks of death.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
There's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

Pending verification
TisnounUS /tɪz/

plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
warmthnounUS /wɔːrmθ/

the sensation caused by heat energy

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
westnounUS /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

From this reading There's the sound of the bell from the scattered flock, And the shade of the beach lies cool on the rock, And fresh from the west is the free-wind's breath.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wildadjectiveUS /waɪld/

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WITCHnounUS /wɪtʃ/

a female sorcerer or magician

From this reading "YOUR MOTHER A WITCH."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wrennounUS /ren/

English architect who designed more than fifty London churches (1632-1723)

From this reading 'Tis a bleak wild, but green and bright In the summer warmth and the mid-day light, There's the hum of the bee and the chirp of the wren, And the dash of the brook from the older glen.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YOURdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "YOUR MOTHER A WITCH."

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 16 of The Witch of Salem by John R. (John Roy) Musick holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

What does chapter 16 of The Witch of Salem contain?

Chapter 16 holds 188 sentences of The Witch of Salem, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The Witch of Salem by John R. (John Roy) Musick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of The Witch of Salem?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Witch of Salem

Common questions about reading The Witch of Salem by John R. (John Roy) Musick on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Witch of Salem?

Yes. All 4828 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26282 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Witch of Salem is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #26282, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Witch of Salem take to read?

About 402 minutes of reading across 966 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Witch of Salem section by section

How to work through The Witch of Salem section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Witch of Salem to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Witch of Salem

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Witch of Salem, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Being
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Witch of Salem; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Complete
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Witch of Salem; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
History
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Witch of Salem; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
United
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Witch of Salem; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.