Chapter 27 of Clipped Wings is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of Clipped Wings is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes. He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate. “Poor old dad!” he groaned. “And mother! I must take the first train.”
Chapter 27 of Clipped Wings is here in full — 468 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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.
extreme mental distress
From this reading “Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.”
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading “Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading ““Poor old dad!” he groaned.”
throw with force or recklessness
From this reading “Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.”
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading ““Poor old dad!” he groaned.”
transport in a sleigh
From this reading “He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading “He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.”
keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last
From this reading “He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.”
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 ““Poor old dad!” he groaned.”
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 Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
extreme mental distress
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “Poor old dad!” he groaned.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I must take the first train.”
throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading “Poor old dad!” he groaned.
having or involving the use of hands
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I must take the first train.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “And mother!
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I must take the first train.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Poor old dad!” he groaned.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Poor old dad!” he groaned.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
cut with a saw
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
a structure that provides privacy and protection from danger
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
transport in a sleigh
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
carry out
From this reading I must take the first train.”
a message transmitted by telegraph
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sheila saw the anguish of dread cover his face like a sudden fling of ashes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
create by training and teaching
From this reading I must take the first train.”
keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last
From this reading He handed the telegram to her, and she put her arms about his shoulders to uphold him and shelter him from the sledge of fate.
Chapter 27 of Clipped Wings by Rupert Hughes holds 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 468 sentences of Clipped Wings, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Clipped Wings by Rupert Hughes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 468 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 Clipped Wings by Rupert Hughes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8610 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60037 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60037, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1722 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clipped Wings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Clipped Wings 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 Clipped Wings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
