Chapter 27 of Autobiography of a Child is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of Autobiography of a Child is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DISMAL END OF HOLIDAYS. For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst. It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man. He was a figure of romance, if ever there was one. He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
Chapter 27 of Autobiography of a Child is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/13 · 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.
uttered without voice
From this reading “It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.”
causing dejection
From this reading “A DISMAL END OF HOLIDAYS.”
bringing death
From this reading “It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.”
plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “A DISMAL END OF HOLIDAYS.”
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading “For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.”
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “He was a figure of romance, if ever there was one.”
inflected form of “sling” — hurl as if with a sling
From this reading “He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.”
plural of “undertone” — a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading “It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.”
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 went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.”
In this reading “For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.”
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 A DISMAL END OF HOLIDAYS.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
in actual fact
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
uttered without voice
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
causing dejection
From this reading A DISMAL END OF HOLIDAYS.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading A DISMAL END OF HOLIDAYS.
at any time
From this reading He was a figure of romance, if ever there was one.
bringing death
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading He was a figure of romance, if ever there was one.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading A DISMAL END OF HOLIDAYS.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He was a figure of romance, if ever there was one.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A DISMAL END OF HOLIDAYS.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was a figure of romance, if ever there was one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
above and across; more than
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading He was a figure of romance, if ever there was one.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
inflected form of “sling” — hurl as if with a sling
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For the joy of our small kingdom a delightful Fenian dropped into our midst.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He was a figure of romance, if ever there was one.
plural of “undertone” — a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was breathed among us in fatal undertones that he had actually shot a man.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He went about with long boots, and an opera-glass slung over his shoulder.
Chapter 27 of Autobiography of a Child by Hannah Lynch holds 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 65 sentences of Autobiography of a Child, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Autobiography of a Child by Hannah Lynch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 Autobiography of a Child by Hannah Lynch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2317 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57072 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57072, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 193 minutes of reading across 464 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Autobiography of a Child section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Autobiography of a Child 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 Autobiography of a Child, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
