Chapter 27 of Jacob's Ladder is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of Jacob's Ladder is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room. He held his watch in his hand. Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently. "No change, Mr. Pratt," he announced. "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
Chapter 27 of Jacob's Ladder is here in full — 113 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “"No change, Mr. Pratt," he announced.”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
From this reading “"All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."”
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading “"All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."”
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading “Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.”
possessive form of “jacob” — French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading “Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.”
-ing form of “purr” — make a soft swishing sound
From this reading “Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.”
plural of “symptom” — (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease
From this reading “"All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."”
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 “Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
(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 "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading "No change, Mr. Pratt," he announced.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading "No change, Mr. Pratt," he announced.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
From this reading "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.
encouraging or approving or pleasing
From this reading "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He held his watch in his hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He held his watch in his hand.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading He held his watch in his hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He held his watch in his hand.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He held his watch in his hand.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
possessive form of “jacob” — French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "No change, Mr. Pratt," he announced.
not any; not one
From this reading "No change, Mr. Pratt," he announced.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No change, Mr. Pratt," he announced.
-ing form of “purr” — make a soft swishing sound
From this reading Outside the house, the engine of his great automobile was purring gently.
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
in the near future
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
plural of “symptom” — (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease
From this reading "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "All the symptoms, however, continue to be decidedly favourable."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Soon after breakfast, on the following morning, Doctor Bardolf was shown into Jacob's sitting-room.
look attentively
From this reading He held his watch in his hand.
Chapter 27 of Jacob's Ladder by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 113 sentences of Jacob's Ladder, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Jacob's Ladder by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 113 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Jacob's Ladder by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4781 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 398 minutes of reading across 957 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jacob's Ladder section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Jacob's Ladder 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 Jacob's Ladder, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
