Chapter 27 of The Moonstone is here in full — 620 sentences across 124 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Moonstone is here in full — 620 sentences across 124 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle. What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that? My precious friend, there is no motive.” “No motive?” I repeated.
Chapter 27 of The Moonstone is here in full — 620 sentences across 124 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/124 · 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.
direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading “What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?”
the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time
From this reading ““I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.”
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading “What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?”
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading “My precious friend, there is no motive.””
relating to human society and its members
From this reading ““I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.”
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading ““I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.”
inflected form of “submit” — refer for judgment or consideration
From this reading ““I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.”
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 “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading My precious friend, there is no motive.”
a young female
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
the financial gain (earned or unearned) accruing over a given period of time
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My precious friend, there is no motive.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behavior
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
a form of address for a man
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My precious friend, there is no motive.”
not any; not one
From this reading My precious friend, there is no motive.”
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading My precious friend, there is no motive.”
recurring again and again
From this reading I repeated.
relating to human society and its members
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
inflected form of “submit” — refer for judgment or consideration
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
in or at that place or location
From this reading My precious friend, there is no motive.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What can be the motive for such extraordinary conduct as that?
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “I have lost a beautiful girl, an excellent social position, and a handsome income,” Mr. Godfrey began; “and I have submitted to it without a struggle.
Chapter 27 of The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins holds 620 sentences, grouped into 124 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 27 holds 620 sentences of The Moonstone, unabridged, divided into 124 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 620 sentences, grouped into 124 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 124 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 124 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 Moonstone by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11510 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #155 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #155, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2302 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Moonstone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Moonstone 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 Moonstone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
