Chapter 32 of A Poor Gentleman is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXII
Chapter 32 of A Poor Gentleman is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ALLY’S PART. Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything. He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity. He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible. He could not do it.
Chapter 32 of A Poor Gentleman is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
possessive form of “ally” — a friendly nation
someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
From this reading “He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.”
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading “He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.”
capability to perform or produce
From this reading “He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.”
an affront to one's dignity or self-esteem
From this reading “He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.”
out of fashion
From this reading “He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.”
plural of “professional” — a person engaged in one of the learned professions
From this reading “He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.”
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 not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.”
In this reading “Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.”
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.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
later than; following
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
possessive form of “ally” — a friendly nation
From this reading ALLY’S PART.
someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
any thing at all
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
capability to perform or produce
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not do it.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He could not do it.
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
set up or found
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
an affront to one's dignity or self-esteem
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
out of fashion
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading ALLY’S PART.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
plural of “professional” — a person engaged in one of the learned professions
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
a male human offspring
From this reading He was an old-fashioned man, and it seemed to him that “to set the police after” his son was an indignity impossible.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Sir Edward Penton went to London most days, but he never found out anything.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He was not the sort of man to act as an amateur detective, and he would not appeal to the professionals in that capacity.
Chapter 32 of A Poor Gentleman by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 32 holds 137 sentences of A Poor Gentleman, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 32 of A Poor Gentleman by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 32 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 A Poor Gentleman by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8342 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61782 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61782, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1669 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Poor Gentleman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of A Poor Gentleman 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 A Poor Gentleman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
