Chapter 21 of Bolanyo is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Bolanyo is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WORK OF A SCOUNDREL. I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched. I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult. But what could I hope for at best? My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
Chapter 21 of Bolanyo is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading “I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.”
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading “My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.”
express or state indirectly
From this reading “I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.”
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading “I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.”
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading “I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.”
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading “THE WORK OF A SCOUNDREL.”
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading “I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.”
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading “I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.”
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 “I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.”
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 THE WORK OF A SCOUNDREL.
later than; following
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
(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 I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But what could I hope for at best?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading But what could I hope for at best?
past form of “betray” — reveal unintentionally
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what could I hope for at best?
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But what could I hope for at best?
divisible by two
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But what could I hope for at best?
coins made of gold
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading But what could I hope for at best?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
express or state indirectly
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
very unhappy; full of misery
From this reading I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My chain might be gold, but it was a chain after all, and must be broken.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE WORK OF A SCOUNDREL.
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading THE WORK OF A SCOUNDREL.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WORK OF A SCOUNDREL.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I had betrayed myself, and now to show even the slightest interest in her was to imply an insult.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what could I hope for at best?
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading THE WORK OF A SCOUNDREL.
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading I was more than miserable all that night; I was wretched.
Chapter 21 of Bolanyo by Opie Percival Read holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 21 holds 111 sentences of Bolanyo, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Bolanyo by Opie Percival Read exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 21 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 Bolanyo by Opie Percival Read on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38826 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38826, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 287 minutes of reading across 690 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bolanyo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Bolanyo 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 Bolanyo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
