Chapter 27 of The Broken Road is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Broken Road is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life. She fled to her room. She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face. "What shall I do?" she cried piteously. "What shall I do?"
Chapter 27 of The Broken Road is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.”
troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
From this reading “THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.”
in a helpless manner
From this reading “She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.”
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading “She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.”
United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)
From this reading “THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.”
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.”
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.”
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.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "What shall I do?" she cried piteously.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What shall I do?" she cried piteously.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
inflected form of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading She fled to her room.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
in a helpless manner
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "What shall I do?" she cried piteously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
polished surface that forms images by reflecting light
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
a particular point in time
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
in a piteous manner
From this reading "What shall I do?" she cried piteously.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She fled to her room.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "What shall I do?" she cried piteously.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She fled to her room.
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading She stood in front of her mirror gazing helplessly at the reflection of her troubled face.
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE THIEF Violet Oliver was harassed that night as she had never before been harassed at any moment of her easy life.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What shall I do?" she cried piteously.
Chapter 27 of The Broken Road by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 188 sentences of The Broken Road, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Broken Road by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Broken Road by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley) Mason on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7041 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10755 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10755, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 586 minutes of reading across 1409 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Broken Road section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Broken Road 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 Broken Road, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
