Chapter 31 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story is here in full — 283 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story is here in full — 283 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The weather had been unusually warm. Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure. The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening. On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out. “Is she walking?” he asked, “on a day such as this?”
Chapter 31 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story is here in full — 283 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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.
inflected form of “defer” — hold back to a later time
From this reading “The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.”
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading “Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.”
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading “The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.”
superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading “Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.”
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading “Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.”
plural of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading “Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.”
the largest Australian city located in southeastern Australia on the Tasman Sea; state capital of New South Wales; Australia's chief port
From this reading “The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.”
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading “The weather had been unusually warm.”
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 Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
(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 Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Is she walking?” he asked, “on a day such as this?”
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The weather had been unusually warm.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “Is she walking?” he asked, “on a day such as this?”
inflected form of “defer” — hold back to a later time
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
destroyed or killed
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The weather had been unusually warm.
superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
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 The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Is she walking?” he asked, “on a day such as this?”
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
plural of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading On asking for her, he was surprised to hear that she had gone out.
the largest Australian city located in southeastern Australia on the Tasman Sea; state capital of New South Wales; Australia's chief port
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
carry out
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The weather had been unusually warm.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Is she walking?” he asked, “on a day such as this?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Of all oppressive summers a hot summer in London is the hardest to endure.
up to a particular time
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading The weather had been unusually warm.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading “Is she walking?” he asked, “on a day such as this?”
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading The weather had been unusually warm.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The little exercise that Sydney could take was, as Randal knew, deferred until the evening.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading The weather had been unusually warm.
Chapter 31 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story by Wilkie Collins holds 283 sentences, grouped into 57 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 31 holds 283 sentences of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 283 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 31 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 Evil Genius: A Domestic Story by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6769 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1627 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1627, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 564 minutes of reading across 1354 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story 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 Evil Genius: A Domestic Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
