Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken. So I held my peace and looked away into the fire. I felt he had something to say to me, and I waited. He moved his head slowly towards the bookcase. "Those books," he asked, "are yours?"
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 14/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 66–70
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.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading “Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.”
a piece of furniture with shelves for storing books
From this reading “He moved his head slowly towards the bookcase.”
the point or degree to which something extends
From this reading “Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.”
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “I felt he had something to say to me, and I waited.”
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading “"Those books," he asked, "are yours?"”
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.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
(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 Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Those books," he asked, "are yours?"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Those books," he asked, "are yours?"
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
a piece of furniture with shelves for storing books
From this reading He moved his head slowly towards the bookcase.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading "Those books," he asked, "are yours?"
divisible by two
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
the point or degree to which something extends
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I felt he had something to say to me, and I waited.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
start firing a weapon
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I felt he had something to say to me, and I waited.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He moved his head slowly towards the bookcase.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I felt he had something to say to me, and I waited.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading He moved his head slowly towards the bookcase.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
express in words
From this reading I felt he had something to say to me, and I waited.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He moved his head slowly towards the bookcase.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So I held my peace and looked away into the fire.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I felt he had something to say to me, and I waited.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
in the direction of
From this reading He moved his head slowly towards the bookcase.
expressed without speech
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading I felt he had something to say to me, and I waited.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet even in those first few hours of our acquaintance I had become, like all the others, to some extent the servant of his will, spoken or unspoken.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading "Those books," he asked, "are yours?"
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 1 holds 186 sentences of The Betrayal, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Betrayal by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 1 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 Betrayal by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6547 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16998 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16998, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 545 minutes of reading across 1310 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Betrayal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Betrayal 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 Betrayal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
