Chapter 27 of Rough-Hewn is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of Rough-Hewn is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
May, 1906. As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand. His broad, red face looked cross and anxious. Something must have gone wrong. She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.
Chapter 27 of Rough-Hewn is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
a garment of cloth or leather or plastic that is tied about the waist and worn to protect your clothing
From this reading “As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.”
travel across or pass over
From this reading “His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.”
coming to maturity
From this reading “As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.”
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading “She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.”
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading “As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.”
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.”
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading “As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.”
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.
at or in the front
In this reading “She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.”
get going or set in motion
In this reading “As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.”
In this reading “His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.”
In this reading “As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading May, 1906.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.
eagerly desirous
From this reading His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.
a garment of cloth or leather or plastic that is tied about the waist and worn to protect your clothing
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.
travel across or pass over
From this reading His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.
coming to maturity
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Something must have gone wrong.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Something must have gone wrong.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May, 1906.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Something must have gone wrong.
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading His broad, red face looked cross and anxious.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
cut with a saw
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something must have gone wrong.
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned back, meeting him in front of the concierge's door.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As Marise started up the front stairway she saw Biron emerging on the run from the foot of the servants' stairway, his apron half-off, a net marketing-bag in his hand.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading Something must have gone wrong.
Chapter 27 of Rough-Hewn by Dorothy Canfield Fisher holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 159 sentences of Rough-Hewn, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Rough-Hewn by Dorothy Canfield Fisher exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Rough-Hewn by Dorothy Canfield Fisher on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9559 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37451 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37451, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1912 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rough-Hewn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Rough-Hewn 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 Rough-Hewn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
