Chapter 27 of The breath of slander is here in full — 158 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 The breath of slander is here in full — 158 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A BOMB. That winter was altogether different from the preceding one. Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine. He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands. In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
Chapter 27 of The breath of slander is here in full — 158 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.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.”
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading “A BOMB.”
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading “In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.”
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.”
be suspended or hanging
From this reading “He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.”
a full supply
From this reading “He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.”
existing or coming before
From this reading “That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.”
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 “In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.”
In this reading “That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.”
in reality or actuality
In this reading “In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.”
In this reading “In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.”
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 BOMB.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
an explosive device fused to explode under specific conditions
From this reading A BOMB.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
yet to be or coming
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
only a very short time before
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
a full supply
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
existing or coming before
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Time seemed to fly, and Conway gloried that each night brought him one day nearer to Norine.
precisely as stated
From this reading He had plenty to do; time could not hang very heavy on his hands.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In fact, he could hardly get time enough to himself wherein to dream of Norine and his future happiness.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading That winter was altogether different from the preceding one.
Chapter 27 of The breath of slander by Ida Reade Allen holds 158 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 158 sentences of The breath of slander, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The breath of slander by Ida Reade Allen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 158 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 The breath of slander by Ida Reade Allen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4688 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76289 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76289, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 390 minutes of reading across 938 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The breath of slander section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The breath of slander 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 breath of slander, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
