Chapter 27 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea. A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university. The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant. A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament. We talked much of his future.
Chapter 27 of An Experiment in Altruism is here in full — 43 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole
From this reading “A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.”
of or relating to Canada or its people
From this reading “A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.”
to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.”
performed comprehensively and completely; not superficial or partial
From this reading “A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.”
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading “The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.”
past form of “survive” — continue to live and avoid dying
From this reading “A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.”
your usual mood
From this reading “A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.”
the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading “A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.”
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 “We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.”
In this reading “A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.”
In this reading “We talked much of his future.”
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 We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
an investigation of the component parts of a whole and their relations in making up the whole
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
of or relating to Canada or its people
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
performed comprehensively and completely; not superficial or partial
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
yet to be or coming
From this reading We talked much of his future.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
a boy or man
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
the post of lecturer
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading We talked much of his future.
information about recent and important events
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
above and across; more than
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
past form of “survive” — continue to live and avoid dying
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading We talked much of his future.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
your usual mood
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading A lectureship had been offered to the Lad by a great Canadian university.
not usual or common or ordinary
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
precisely as stated
From this reading A very human interest in his success had survived our exhaustive analysis of his temperament.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had a bit of good news to discuss over our tea.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The opportunity was unusual for a man so young, and we were all jubilant.
Chapter 27 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood holds 43 sentences, grouped into 9 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 27 holds 43 sentences of An Experiment in Altruism, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 43 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 27 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 An Experiment in Altruism by Margaret Pollock Sherwood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #67432, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 191 minutes of reading across 460 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Experiment in Altruism section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of An Experiment in Altruism 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 An Experiment in Altruism, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
