Chapter 27 of The Half-Hearted is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Half-Hearted is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard. "That was a near shave. Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting! These devils are your friends the Bada-Mawidi." "The deuce they are," said Andover lugubriously.
Chapter 27 of The Half-Hearted is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading “THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.”
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading “"The deuce they are," said Andover lugubriously.”
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “These devils are your friends the Bada-Mawidi."”
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading “Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!”
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading “THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.”
remove body hair with a razor
From this reading “"That was a near shave.”
a reference point to shoot at
From this reading “Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.”
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 "That was a near shave.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The deuce they are," said Andover lugubriously.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These devils are your friends the Bada-Mawidi."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These devils are your friends the Bada-Mawidi."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading "The deuce they are," said Andover lugubriously.
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading These devils are your friends the Bada-Mawidi."
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading These devils are your friends the Bada-Mawidi."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
in a sorrowful lugubrious manner
From this reading "The deuce they are," said Andover lugubriously.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading "That was a near shave.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The deuce they are," said Andover lugubriously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!
remove body hair with a razor
From this reading "That was a near shave.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
a reference point to shoot at
From this reading Phew, I hate being a target for sharpshooting!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That was a near shave.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These devils are your friends the Bada-Mawidi."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The deuce they are," said Andover lugubriously.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That was a near shave.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading THE HILL-FORT Lewis got to his feet and blinked at the morning sun across the yard.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading These devils are your friends the Bada-Mawidi."
Chapter 27 of The Half-Hearted by John Buchan holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 213 sentences of The Half-Hearted, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Half-Hearted by John Buchan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Half-Hearted by John Buchan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5873 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17047 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17047, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 489 minutes of reading across 1175 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Half-Hearted section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Half-Hearted 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 Half-Hearted, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
