Chapter 27 of The Art of Disappearing is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Art of Disappearing is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PROBLEM OF DISAPPEARANCE. After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem. All clues had come to nothing. Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found. His experience knew nothing like it.
Chapter 27 of The Art of Disappearing is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
plural of “clue” — a slight indication
From this reading “All clues had come to nothing.”
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading “A PROBLEM OF DISAPPEARANCE.”
born in England; in 1629 he became the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1588-1665)
From this reading “After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.”
superlative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.”
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading “After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.”
not able to be found
From this reading “Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.”
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading “A PROBLEM OF DISAPPEARANCE.”
a just detectable amount
From this reading “Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.”
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 A PROBLEM OF DISAPPEARANCE.
later than; following
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
(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 clues had come to nothing.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.
plural of “clue” — a slight indication
From this reading All clues had come to nothing.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading All clues had come to nothing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
recognizable; marked
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading A PROBLEM OF DISAPPEARANCE.
born in England; in 1629 he became the founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1588-1665)
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading His experience knew nothing like it.
superlative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
set up or found
From this reading Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All clues had come to nothing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His experience knew nothing like it.
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His experience knew nothing like it.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading His experience knew nothing like it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His experience knew nothing like it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.
not able to be found
From this reading Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading All clues had come to nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A PROBLEM OF DISAPPEARANCE.
a person who requires medical care
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved
From this reading A PROBLEM OF DISAPPEARANCE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
a just detectable amount
From this reading Not the faintest trace of the missing man had been found.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
a late time of life
From this reading After patient study of the disappearance of Horace Endicott, for five years, Richard Curran decided to give up the problem.
Chapter 27 of The Art of Disappearing by John Talbot Smith holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 219 sentences of The Art of Disappearing, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Art of Disappearing by John Talbot Smith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 The Art of Disappearing by John Talbot Smith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8152 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27925 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27925, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1631 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Art of Disappearing section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Art of Disappearing 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 The Art of Disappearing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
