Chapter 27 of The Disturbing Charm is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Disturbing Charm is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief." Shakespeare. Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London. First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!... It _is_!..."
Chapter 27 of The Disturbing Charm is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
of or relating to a wedding
From this reading “HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."”
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...”
a gruff or angry utterance (suggestive of the growling of an animal)
From this reading “Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.”
plural of “household” — a social unit living together
From this reading “First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...”
third-person singular of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading “HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."”
third-person singular of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading “HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."”
ring or echo with sound
From this reading “Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.”
a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading “First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...”
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.
drink down entirely
In this reading “HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."”
In this reading “First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...”
In this reading “HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."”
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.
open to or abounding in fresh air
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
of or relating to a wedding
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
let fall to the ground
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
very far away in space or time
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
a gruff or angry utterance (suggestive of the growling of an animal)
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
an indirect suggestion
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
plural of “household” — a social unit living together
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
third-person singular of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It _is_!..."
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
above and across; more than
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
third-person singular of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
in the near future
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
on the contrary
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
ring or echo with sound
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading Shakespeare.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HER BRIDAL NIGHT "An airy devil hovers in the sky And pours down mischief."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Presently the growling of the guns began to reverberate over London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading First came the far-off rumbling that is felt rather than heard; the hint whereat the mothers of households drop book or work to exclaim, "Hush!...
Chapter 27 of The Disturbing Charm by Berta Ruck holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 177 sentences of The Disturbing Charm, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Disturbing Charm by Berta Ruck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Disturbing Charm by Berta Ruck on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5925 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36442 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36442, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Disturbing Charm section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Disturbing Charm 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 Disturbing Charm, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
