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.
His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us. "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old." I nodded. "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend. He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 17/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 81–85
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 game played on ice in which heavy stones with handles are slid toward a target
From this reading “His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.”
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “"My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “I nodded.”
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading “His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.”
Possessing supreme or ultimate power; autonomous and commanding.
From this reading “"My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.”
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading “"My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “"He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."”
flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes
From this reading “His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.”
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 "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
without stop or interruption
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
a game played on ice in which heavy stones with handles are slid toward a target
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading I nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
a separate part of a whole
From this reading He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
Possessing supreme or ultimate power; autonomous and commanding.
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
express a supposition
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He told me that a great piece of good fortune had happened to me."
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "My uncle," I said, "gave me a holiday and a sovereign to spend.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
at the time that
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes
From this reading His whole attention seemed fixed upon the curling wreath of blue smoke which hung between us.
a late time of life
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "He died, I suppose," he continued, "when you were about twelve years old."
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.
