Chapter 28 of The Bertrams is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of The Bertrams is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. MADDEN'S BALL. Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone. Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them. He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
Chapter 28 of The Bertrams is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading “MADDEN'S BALL.”
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.”
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
From this reading “Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.”
in a free manner
From this reading “He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.”
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading “He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.”
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading “Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.”
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.”
plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading “He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
later than; following
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading MADDEN'S BALL.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
one or the other of two
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
in a free manner
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MADDEN'S BALL.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
cut with a saw
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
make square
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
plural of “stranger” — anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Their interview on this occasion was not in any great degree embarrassing to either of them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Two days after the dinner, George Bertram called in Eaton Square and saw Lady Harcourt; but, as it happened, she was not alone.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He did not stay long; and as strangers were present, he was able to talk freely on indifferent subjects.
Chapter 28 of The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope holds 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 28 holds 212 sentences of The Bertrams, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13420 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26001 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26001, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2684 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bertrams section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Bertrams 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 Bertrams, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
