Chapter 8 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly. His chagrin was very real. He hated to be fooled, and fooled he had been. Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep. Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
Chapter 8 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
strong feelings of embarrassment
From this reading “His chagrin was very real.”
a paving stone forming part of a curb
From this reading “Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.”
past form of “fool” — make a fool or dupe of
From this reading “He hated to be fooled, and fooled he had been.”
past form of “hail” — praise vociferously
From this reading “Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.”
in an idle manner
From this reading “He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.”
Scottish missionary and explorer who discovered the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls (1813-1873)
From this reading “Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.”
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.”
in a way that was not expected
From this reading “Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.”
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 Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
anew
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He hated to be fooled, and fooled he had been.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He hated to be fooled, and fooled he had been.
strong feelings of embarrassment
From this reading His chagrin was very real.
a paving stone forming part of a curb
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
past form of “fool” — make a fool or dupe of
From this reading He hated to be fooled, and fooled he had been.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
(Roman Catholic Church) a church father known for his constant fight against perceived heresies; a saint and Doctor of the Church (329-391)
From this reading Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He hated to be fooled, and fooled he had been.
past form of “hail” — praise vociferously
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading He hated to be fooled, and fooled he had been.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His chagrin was very real.
in an idle manner
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
Scottish missionary and explorer who discovered the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls (1813-1873)
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
and nothing more
From this reading Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading His chagrin was very real.
cut with a saw
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He hated to be fooled, and fooled he had been.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
in a way that was not expected
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
precisely as stated
From this reading His chagrin was very real.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading He turned and started back up the street again, walking idly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His chagrin was very real.
which person or people
From this reading Gregory was not the only one who had lost a night's sleep.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then, unexpectedly, he was hailed from the curbstone, and he saw with amazement that it was Dick Livingstone.
Chapter 8 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 8 holds 234 sentences of The Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 8 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.
