Chapter 27 of Free Air is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of Free Air is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?" Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over. "Which one was---- Oh, the boy you met on the road? Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly. I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
Chapter 27 of Free Air is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
used as intensifiers
From this reading “I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.”
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading “I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.”
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading “I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.”
characterized by or full of force or strength (often but not necessarily physical)
From this reading “I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly.”
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading “I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.”
the trait of extreme cruelty
From this reading “THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"”
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 “I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.”
In this reading “THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"”
travelling about
In this reading “"Which one was---- Oh, the boy you met on the road?”
In this reading “I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
used as intensifiers
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
a youthful male person
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over.
not carefully or expertly made
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
characterized by or full of force or strength (often but not necessarily physical)
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading "Which one was---- Oh, the boy you met on the road?
a particular point in time
From this reading Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Which one was---- Oh, the boy you met on the road?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Which one was---- Oh, the boy you met on the road?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Which one was---- Oh, the boy you met on the road?
above and across; more than
From this reading Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly.
on the contrary
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly.
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading "Which one was---- Oh, the boy you met on the road?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
the trait of extreme cruelty
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Claire demanded of Eva Gilson, the moment bruncheon was over.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I'd rather fancied from the way you referred to him that he was awfully jolly and forceful, but rather crude.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Which one was---- Oh, the boy you met on the road?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, really, I didn't notice him particularly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE VICIOUSNESS OF NICE THINGS "What did you think of my nice Daggett boy?"
Chapter 27 of Free Air by Sinclair Lewis holds 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 174 sentences of Free Air, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Free Air by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Free Air by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6146 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 512 minutes of reading across 1230 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Free Air section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Free Air 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 Free Air, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
