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.
"You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete. You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world. Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve." "I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking. I have no fear of anything of the sort.
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 23/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 111–115
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 person trained to compete in sports
From this reading “"You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.”
(usually plural) discussion of all sides of a question
From this reading “"I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.”
far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree
From this reading “You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.”
inadequate in amount or degree
From this reading “"I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.”
preside over
From this reading “"You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.”
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.”
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading “Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."”
be hungry; go without food
From this reading “Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."”
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 "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.
any thing at all
From this reading I have no fear of anything of the sort.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
make certain of
From this reading "I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.
a person trained to compete in sports
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
(usually plural) discussion of all sides of a question
From this reading "I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading I have no fear of anything of the sort.
a man of refinement
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
inadequate in amount or degree
From this reading "I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.
preside over
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
not any; not one
From this reading I have no fear of anything of the sort.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
a gradual sinking to a lower level
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading I have no fear of anything of the sort.
be hungry; go without food
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I can assure you," I answered, "that the deliberation is lacking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading You have an exceptional degree, and I presume a fair knowledge of the world.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet you appear to be deliberately settling down here to starve."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "You are young," he said, "a gentleman by birth, and I should imagine a moderate athlete.
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.
