Chapter 31 of Foul Play is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Foul Play is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act. And it was so with Joseph Wylie. He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds. This Nancy Rouse was a character. She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
Chapter 31 of Foul Play is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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 feeling of affection for a person or an institution
From this reading “He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.”
a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts
From this reading “IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.”
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading “IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.”
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading “And it was so with Joseph Wylie.”
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 “IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.”
a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading “He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.”
become active
From this reading “He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.”
United States poet (1885-1928)
From this reading “And it was so with Joseph Wylie.”
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 IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it was so with Joseph Wylie.
a feeling of affection for a person or an institution
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading This Nancy Rouse was a character.
a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
being joined in close association
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it was so with Joseph Wylie.
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading And it was so with Joseph Wylie.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
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 IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
become active
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And it was so with Joseph Wylie.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This Nancy Rouse was a character.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He had formed an attachment to Nancy Rouse, and her price was two thousand pounds.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And it was so with Joseph Wylie.
in the company of; together with
From this reading IN that curious compound, the human heart, a respectable motive is sometimes connected with a criminal act.
United States poet (1885-1928)
From this reading And it was so with Joseph Wylie.
a late time of life
From this reading She was General Rolleston's servant for many years; her place was the kitchen.
Chapter 31 of Foul Play by Charles Reade holds 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 31 holds 254 sentences of Foul Play, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Foul Play by Charles Reade exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 31 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 Foul Play by Charles Reade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9633 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3702 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3702, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1927 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Foul Play section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Foul Play 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 Foul Play, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
