Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Berlin and Sans-Souci
Berlin and Sans-Souci

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of Berlin and Sans-Souci is here in full — 346 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Berlin and Sans-Souci
Context Illustration Reading 1/69 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TRENCK'S FIRST FLIGHT.
"This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.
"To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.
And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"
"Undoubtedly," said Ernestine von Haak; "we shall and must succeed."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Berlin and Sans-Souci

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of Berlin and Sans-Souci is here in full — 346 sentences across 70 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/69 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
TRENCK'S FIRST FLIGHT.
Line 2
"This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.
Line 3
"To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.
Line 4
And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"
/ənd tuː miː ˈhæpi ˈprɪn.ses wɪl hiː oʊ ɔːl ðiːz ˈblesɪŋz tuː miː huːm ɡɑːd hæz pərˈmɪtɪd tuː sərˈvaɪv ɔːl ðiːz ˈtɔːrments ðæt aɪ maɪt biː ðə miːnz ʌv ɪˈfektɪŋ hɪz dɪˈlɪvərəns fɔːr wɪˈθaʊt daʊt ˈaʊər wɜːrk wɪl səkˈsiːd wɪl ɪt nɑːt/
Line 5
"Undoubtedly," said Ernestine von Haak; "we shall and must succeed."

Learner Dictionary

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.

Amelia noun US /əˈmiːljə/

congenital absence of an arm or leg

From this reading “"This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.”

blessings noun US /ˈblesɪŋz/

plural of “blessing” — the formal act of approving

From this reading “And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"”

confidante noun US /ˈkɑːnfədænt/

a female confidant

From this reading “"This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.”

deliverance noun US /dɪˈlɪvərəns/

recovery or preservation from loss or danger

From this reading “And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"”

effecting verb US /ɪˈfektɪŋ/

-ing form of “effect” — produce

From this reading “And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"”

liberation noun US /ˌlɪbɜːrˈeɪʃən/

the act of liberating someone or something

From this reading “"This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.”

survive verb US /sərˈvaɪv/

continue to live and avoid dying

From this reading “And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"”

torments noun US /ˈtɔːrments/

plural of “torment” — unbearable physical pain

From this reading “And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

AmelianounUS /əˈmiːljə/

congenital absence of an arm or leg

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

blessingsnounUS /ˈblesɪŋz/

plural of “blessing” — the formal act of approving

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

confidantenounUS /ˈkɑːnfədænt/

a female confidant

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

deliverancenounUS /dɪˈlɪvərəns/

recovery or preservation from loss or danger

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

effectingverbUS /ɪˈfektɪŋ/

-ing form of “effect” — produce

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

enjoyverbUS /ˌenˈdʒɔɪ/

derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

Ernestine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Undoubtedly," said Ernestine von Haak; "we shall and must succeed."

FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading TRENCK'S FIRST FLIGHT.

fivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

FLIGHTnounUS /flaɪt/

a formation of aircraft in flight

From this reading TRENCK'S FIRST FLIGHT.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

freeverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

Haak

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

happyadjectiveUS /ˈhæpi/

enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

liberationnounUS /ˌlɪbɜːrˈeɪʃən/

the act of liberating someone or something

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

libertynounUS /ˈlɪb.ər.ti/

The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

MademoisellenounUS /ˌmædəməˈzel/

small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

meansnounUS /miːnz/

thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "Undoubtedly," said Ernestine von Haak; "we shall and must succeed."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

oweverbUS /oʊ/

be obliged to pay or repay

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

permittedverbUS /pərˈmɪtɪd/

inflected form of “permit” — consent to, give permission

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

PrincessnounUS /ˈprɪn.ses/

The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "Undoubtedly," said Ernestine von Haak; "we shall and must succeed."

succeedverbUS /səkˈsiːd/

attain success or reach a desired goal

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

surviveverbUS /sərˈvaɪv/

continue to live and avoid dying

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

To-day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

tormentsnounUS /ˈtɔːrments/

plural of “torment” — unbearable physical pain

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

tortureverbUS /ˈtɔːrtʃər/

torment emotionally or mentally

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

TRENCK'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading TRENCK'S FIRST FLIGHT.

UndoubtedlyadverbUS /ənˈdaʊtɪdli/

without doubt; certainly

From this reading "Undoubtedly," said Ernestine von Haak; "we shall and must succeed."

von

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "This is, then, the day of his liberation?" said Princess Amelia to her confidante, Mademoiselle von Haak.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "Undoubtedly," said Ernestine von Haak; "we shall and must succeed."

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "To-day, after five months of torture, he will again be free, will again enjoy life and liberty.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading And to me, happy princess, will he owe all these blessings; to me, whom God has permitted to survive all these torments, that I might be the means of effecting his deliverance, for, without doubt, our work will succeed, will it not?"

Chapter 28 of Berlin and Sans-Souci by L. (Luise) Mühlbach holds 346 sentences, grouped into 70 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.

What does chapter 28 of Berlin and Sans-Souci contain?

Chapter 28 holds 346 sentences of Berlin and Sans-Souci, unabridged, divided into 70 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of Berlin and Sans-Souci by L. (Luise) Mühlbach exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 346 sentences, grouped into 70 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.

How do I study chapter 28 of Berlin and Sans-Souci?

Work through the 70 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 70 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.

Can chapter 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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.

Questions about reading Berlin and Sans-Souci

Common questions about reading Berlin and Sans-Souci by L. (Luise) Mühlbach on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Berlin and Sans-Souci?

Yes. All 9728 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4205 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Berlin and Sans-Souci is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4205, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Berlin and Sans-Souci take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1946 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Berlin and Sans-Souci section by section

How to work through Berlin and Sans-Souci section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Berlin and Sans-Souci to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Berlin and Sans-Souci

Words and structures a reader meets early in Berlin and Sans-Souci, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Courtier
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Berlin and Sans-Souci; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Figure
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Berlin and Sans-Souci; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Approaching
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Berlin and Sans-Souci; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Steps
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Berlin and Sans-Souci; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.