Chapter 7 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Good heavens, what for?” he inquired. “I don't know.” They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed. “I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained. “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
Chapter 7 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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 “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading ““I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading ““I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.””
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading ““Good heavens, what for?” he inquired.”
to make better
From this reading ““I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading ““Good heavens, what for?” he inquired.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.”
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading ““I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.””
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading ““I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don't know.”
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Good heavens, what for?” he inquired.
used as intensifiers
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Good heavens, what for?” he inquired.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Good heavens, what for?” he inquired.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading “Good heavens, what for?” he inquired.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don't know.”
to make better
From this reading “I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Good heavens, what for?” he inquired.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I don't know.”
immediately past
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
happening unexpectedly
From this reading They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked at each other, and suddenly they laughed.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “I wanted to improve my mind,” she explained.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Good heavens, what for?” he inquired.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I felt, last night, that you--that you know so many things, and that I was frightfully stupid.”
Chapter 7 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 224 sentences, grouped into 45 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 7 holds 224 sentences of The Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 7 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 Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9105 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1601 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1601, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1821 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Breaking Point section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Breaking Point 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 Breaking Point, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
