Chapter 27 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“MR. JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began. They began before my recollection. They began with my birth. “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
Chapter 27 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/66 · 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.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading “They began with my birth.”
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
educate for a future role or function
From this reading ““My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.”
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading “JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.”
plural of “prospect” — the possibility of future success
From this reading ““My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.”
the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading “They began before my recollection.”
destroyed physically or morally
From this reading ““My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.”
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading “JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.”
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 “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading They began before my recollection.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading They began with my birth.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
a young female
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
educate for a future role or function
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “MR.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
plural of “prospect” — the possibility of future success
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading They began before my recollection.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
destroyed physically or morally
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
express in words
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
express in words
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They began before my recollection.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
at the time that
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
which person or people
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They began with my birth.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading JULIAN GRAY has asked me to tell him, and to tell you, Mr. Holmcroft, how my troubles began.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “My mother (as I have heard her say) ruined her prospects, when she was quite a young girl, by a marriage with one of her father’s servants--the groom who rode out with her.
Chapter 27 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins holds 331 sentences, grouped into 67 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 331 sentences of The New Magdalen, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 331 sentences, grouped into 67 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 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 67 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 New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7416 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1484 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The New Magdalen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The New Magdalen 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 New Magdalen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
