Chapter 29 of The Bertrams is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Bertrams is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CAN I ESCAPE? Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months. But he was lamentably infirm of purpose. He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go. What had either of them done for him that he should regard them?
Chapter 29 of The Bertrams is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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 “Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.”
the act of escaping physically
From this reading “CAN I ESCAPE?”
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 “Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading “Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.”
lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
From this reading “Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.”
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading “Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.”
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading “Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.”
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading “What had either of them done for him that he should regard them?”
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.
later than; following
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
anew
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
(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 Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he was lamentably infirm of purpose.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading CAN I ESCAPE?
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading What had either of them done for him that he should regard them?
one or the other of two
From this reading What had either of them done for him that he should regard them?
the act of escaping physically
From this reading CAN I ESCAPE?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
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 Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading CAN I ESCAPE?
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
in an unfortunate or deplorable manner
From this reading But he was lamentably infirm of purpose.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
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 Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
the force of workers available
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
above and across; more than
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading What had either of them done for him that he should regard them?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading What had either of them done for him that he should regard them?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading What had either of them done for him that he should regard them?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He said to himself over and over again, that it behoved him to go.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But he was lamentably infirm of purpose.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What had either of them done for him that he should regard them?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had not George Bertram been of all men the most infirm of purpose, he would have quitted London immediately after that ball--at any rate, for many months.
Chapter 29 of The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope holds 298 sentences, grouped into 60 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 29 holds 298 sentences of The Bertrams, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The Bertrams by Anthony Trollope exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 298 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 29 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.
