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How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes
How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Gordon Stables • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes
Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.
Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.
The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.
Brave? ah yes; give them their due.
Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.
Line 2
Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.
/ˈnɪrər ənd ˈnɪrər tuː ðə ɡreɪt ˈfɔːrtrəs krept naʊ ðə wɜːrks ʌv ðə əˈlaɪd ˈɑːrmiz/
Line 3
The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.
/ðə ɡrɪp ʌv deθ wɑːz ˈtaɪtənɪŋ ɑːn ðə breɪv dɪˈfendərz ʌv seˈbɑːstəpɔːl/
Line 4
Brave? ah yes; give them their due.
Line 5
Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.
/ðer ˈsʌfərɪŋz æt ðɪs taɪm wɜːr ˈɡreɪtər ˈiːvɪn ðæn ˈaʊər oʊn ənd ˈʌndər ˈaʊər ˈfaɪər æt liːst tuː ˈhʌndrəd ʌv ðem fel ˈevəri deɪ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

allied adjective US /əˈlaɪd/

related by common characteristics or ancestry

From this reading “Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
armies noun US /ˈɑːrmiz/

plural of “army” — a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading “Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
defenders noun US /dɪˈfendərz/

plural of “defender” — a person who cares for persons or property

From this reading “The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fortress noun US /ˈfɔːrtrəs/

a fortified defensive structure

From this reading “Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Sebastopol noun US /seˈbɑːstəpɔːl/

a city in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea

From this reading “The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sufferings noun US /ˈsʌfərɪŋz/

plural of “suffering” — a state of acute pain

From this reading “Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tightening noun US /ˈtaɪtənɪŋ/

the act of making something tighter

From this reading “The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tragic adjective US /ˈtrædʒɪk/

very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction

From this reading “THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

allied armies adjective + noun counted as “allied army”

In this reading “Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.”

318 times in 426,212 chapters
two hundred noun + noun

being ten more than one hundred ninety

In this reading “Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.”

28,875 times in 426,212 chapters
least two adjective + noun

In this reading “Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.”

2,633 times in 426,212 chapters
ACT OF verb + particle

In this reading “THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.”

28,018 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 51

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.

ACTverbUS /ækt/

perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ah

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Brave? ah yes; give them their due.

Pending verification
alliedadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪd/

related by common characteristics or ancestry

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
armiesnounUS /ˈɑːrmiz/

plural of “army” — a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
BAYnounUS /beɪ/

an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BEARverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
braveadjectiveUS /breɪv/

possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching

From this reading The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
creptverbUS /krept/

inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
defendersnounUS /dɪˈfendərz/

plural of “defender” — a person who cares for persons or property

From this reading The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dueadjectiveUS /duː/

owed and payable immediately or on demand

From this reading Brave? ah yes; give them their due.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
fellverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fortressnounUS /ˈfɔːrtrəs/

a fortified defensive structure

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Brave? ah yes; give them their due.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greateradjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtər/

greater in size or importance or degree

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gripnounUS /ɡrɪp/

the act of grasping

From this reading The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LASTadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
leastadjectiveUS /liːst/

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
NeareradverbUS /ˈnɪrər/

(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RUSSIANnounUS /ˈrʌʃən/

a native or inhabitant of Russia

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SebastopolnounUS /seˈbɑːstəpɔːl/

a city in southern Ukraine on the Black Sea

From this reading The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sufferingsnounUS /ˈsʌfərɪŋz/

plural of “suffering” — a state of acute pain

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Brave? ah yes; give them their due.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Brave? ah yes; give them their due.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tighteningnounUS /ˈtaɪtənɪŋ/

the act of making something tighter

From this reading The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
TRAGICadjectiveUS /ˈtrædʒɪk/

very sad; especially involving grief or death or destruction

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WARnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading THE RUSSIAN BEAR AT BAY--THE LAST ACT OF THE TRAGIC WAR.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The grip of death was tightening on the brave defenders of Sebastopol.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Their sufferings at this time were greater even than our own, and under our fire at least two hundred of them fell every day.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
worksnounUS /wɜːrks/

buildings for carrying on industrial labor

From this reading Nearer and nearer to the great fortress crept now the works of the allied armies.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading Brave? ah yes; give them their due.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 27 of How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes by Gordon Stables holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

What does chapter 27 of How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes contain?

Chapter 27 holds 94 sentences of How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 27 of How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes by Gordon Stables exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

How do I study chapter 27 of How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes?

Work through the 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 19 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.

Can chapter 27 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Vocabulary met early in How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes

Words and structures a reader meets early in How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of How Jack Mackenzie won his epaulettes, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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