Chapter 27 of The Golden Web is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Golden Web is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine. It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane. During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks. He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature. His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
Chapter 27 of The Golden Web is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
fearless and daring
From this reading “A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.”
plural of “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading “During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.”
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.”
broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce
From this reading “His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.”
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading “During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.”
confidently optimistic and cheerful
From this reading “A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.”
plural of “shilling” — the basic unit of money in Uganda; equal to 100 cents
From this reading “During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.”
not neat and tidy
From this reading “He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.”
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 “It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.”
In this reading “His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.”
In this reading “During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.”
continue to live and avoid dying
In this reading “During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.”
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 BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
fearless and daring
From this reading A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.
plural of “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
move gently or carefully
From this reading His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce
From this reading His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
in large part; mainly or chiefly
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
above and across; more than
From this reading A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.
confidently optimistic and cheerful
From this reading A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
plural of “shilling” — the basic unit of money in Uganda; equal to 100 cents
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading During that three days he had lived on a few shillings, spent mostly in drinks.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was three days before he was able to see Stirling Deane.
not neat and tidy
From this reading He swaggered into Deane's office, an untidy, dissolute-looking creature.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A BOLD MOVE Hefferom was over sanguine.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His efforts to seem at his ease were almost ludicrous.
Chapter 27 of The Golden Web by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 147 sentences of The Golden Web, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Golden Web by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Golden Web by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5894 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34945 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34945, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 491 minutes of reading across 1179 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Golden Web section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Golden Web 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 Golden Web, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
