Chapter 27 of Out of the Primitive is here in full — 171 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 Out of the Primitive is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy. He groaned and sluggishly raised his head. His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared. He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch. Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
Chapter 27 of Out of the Primitive is here in full — 171 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.
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading “THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.”
destitute of blood or apparently so
From this reading “His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.”
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading “Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.”
inflected form of “jar” — be incompatible; be or come into conflict
From this reading “THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.”
a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness)
From this reading “THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.”
superlative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.”
in a sluggish manner
From this reading “He groaned and sluggishly raised his head.”
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 He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He groaned and sluggishly raised his head.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch.
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
destitute of blood or apparently so
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
(of an eye) reddened as a result of locally congested blood vessels; inflamed
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch.
a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity
From this reading He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol
From this reading He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
opinion or judgment
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading He groaned and sluggishly raised his head.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He groaned and sluggishly raised his head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He groaned and sluggishly raised his head.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
inflected form of “jar” — be incompatible; be or come into conflict
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness)
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He had the look of a man at the close of a drunken debauch.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading He groaned and sluggishly raised his head.
superlative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
in a sluggish manner
From this reading He groaned and sluggishly raised his head.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading THE SHORTEST WAY The noise of the door jarred Blake from his lethargy.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His face was bloodless and haggard, his bloodshot eyes were dull and bleared.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Dolores hastened to him, exclaiming, "Mr. Blake, you are ill!
Chapter 27 of Out of the Primitive by Robert Ames Bennet holds 171 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 171 sentences of Out of the Primitive, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Out of the Primitive by Robert Ames Bennet exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 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 Out of the Primitive by Robert Ames Bennet on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8075 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6116 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6116, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1615 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Out of the Primitive section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Out of the Primitive 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 Out of the Primitive, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
