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, very young," he remarked, thoughtfully. "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun. The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world. The wilds are wherever men meet men." I was silent.
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 27/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 131–135
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.
(informal) very unpleasant
From this reading “"You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.”
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading “The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.”
a greenhouse in which plants are arranged in a pleasing manner
From this reading “"You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.”
plural of “orchid” — any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors
From this reading “"You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.”
plural of “stalk” — material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading “"You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.”
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading “"You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.”
the longest river in England; flows eastward through London to the North Sea
From this reading “The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.”
plural of “wild” — a wild primitive state untouched by civilization
From this reading “The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.”
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.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are young, very young," he remarked, thoughtfully.
(informal) very unpleasant
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
the activities of educating or instructing; activities that impart knowledge or skill
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
a long artificial mound of stone or earth; built to hold back water or to support a road or as protection
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
divisible by two
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
to or in any or all places
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You are young, very young," he remarked, thoughtfully.
a greenhouse in which plants are arranged in a pleasing manner
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was silent.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
come together
From this reading The wilds are wherever men meet men."
the force of workers available
From this reading The wilds are wherever men meet men."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
plural of “orchid” — any of numerous plants of the orchid family usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "You are young, very young," he remarked, thoughtfully.
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading I was silent.
plural of “stalk” — material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
the longest river in England; flows eastward through London to the North Sea
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading "You have that beastly hothouse education, big ideas on thin stalks, orchids instead of roses, the stove instead of the sun.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading "You are young, very young," he remarked, thoughtfully.
precisely as stated
From this reading "You are young, very young," he remarked, thoughtfully.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was silent.
in or to any place at all
From this reading The wilds are wherever men meet men."
plural of “wild” — a wild primitive state untouched by civilization
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The wilds are everywhere--on the Thames Embankment, even in this God-forsaken corner of the world.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are young, very young," he remarked, thoughtfully.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "You are young, very young," he remarked, thoughtfully.
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.
