Chapter 27 of The Rake's Progress is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of The Rake's Progress is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_. "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham. She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street. "Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan. "Why, not yet.
Chapter 27 of The Rake's Progress is here in full — 259 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.”
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading “She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.”
strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
From this reading “"Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “"I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.”
outlying areas (as of a city or town)
From this reading “She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.”
-ing form of “unfurl” — unroll, unfold, or spread out or be unrolled, unfolded, or spread out from a furled state
From this reading “"Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan.”
French writer who was the embodiment of 18th century Enlightenment (1694-1778)
From this reading “"I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.”
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 “She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.”
In this reading “A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.”
In this reading “A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.”
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 MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
From this reading "Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
immediately past
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
outlying areas (as of a city or town)
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
-ing form of “unfurl” — unroll, unfold, or spread out or be unrolled, unfolded, or spread out from a furled state
From this reading "Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
French writer who was the embodiment of 18th century Enlightenment (1694-1778)
From this reading "I do not like Monsieur Voltaire," said Susannah Chressham.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Shall we go?" asked Miss Westbrook, unfurling her fan.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She and her companion, Miss Westbrook, moved on the outskirts of the crowd that filled the music-room in Villiers Street.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, not yet.
but in spite of that
From this reading "Why, not yet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A MAY NIGHT The curtain fell on the last act of _Zaîre_.
Chapter 27 of The Rake's Progress by Marjorie Bowen holds 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 259 sentences of The Rake's Progress, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of The Rake's Progress by Marjorie Bowen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 259 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 Rake's Progress by Marjorie Bowen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6467 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48200 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48200, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 538 minutes of reading across 1294 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rake's Progress section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Rake's Progress 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 Rake's Progress, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
