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.
"I have no fear of you. Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations." He rose and looked out of the window. The storm had abated but little. The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
Chapter 1 of The Betrayal is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 33/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 161–165
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.
past form of “abate” — make less active or intense
From this reading “The storm had abated but little.”
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading “Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."”
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading “Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."”
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading “The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading “The storm had abated but little.”
in regular succession without gaps
From this reading “Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."”
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading “The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.”
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading “Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."”
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 Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
past form of “abate” — make less active or intense
From this reading The storm had abated but little.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He rose and looked out of the window.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The storm had abated but little.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading "I have no fear of you.
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The storm had abated but little.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I have no fear of you.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have no fear of you.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The storm had abated but little.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He rose and looked out of the window.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
not any; not one
From this reading "I have no fear of you.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I have no fear of you.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He rose and looked out of the window.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He rose and looked out of the window.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
not in physical motion
From this reading The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading The storm had abated but little.
in regular succession without gaps
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He rose and looked out of the window.
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
a cunning or deceitful action or device
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nature does not pay us so evil a trick as to send us two such as he in successive generations."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The roar of the sea and wind was still like thunder in the air.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading He rose and looked out of the window.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I have no fear of you.
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.
