Chapter 12 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And he had other advantages. The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin. He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in. “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal. The clerk grinned.
Chapter 12 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 225 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
plural of “advantage” — the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading “And he had other advantages.”
United States explorer who (with Meriwether Lewis) led an expedition from St. Louis to the mouth of the Columbia River; Clark was responsible for making maps of the area (1770-1838)
From this reading “The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.”
with cynicism; in a cynical manner
From this reading “The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.”
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading ““Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.”
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading “The clerk grinned.”
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading ““Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.”
arrange in a container
From this reading “The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.”
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading “The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.”
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 “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
plural of “advantage” — the quality of having a superior or more favorable position
From this reading And he had other advantages.
later than; following
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he had other advantages.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
United States explorer who (with Meriwether Lewis) led an expedition from St. Louis to the mouth of the Columbia River; Clark was responsible for making maps of the area (1770-1838)
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
with cynicism; in a cynical manner
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
inflected form of “grin” — to draw back the lips and reveal the teeth, in a smile, grimace, or snarl
From this reading The clerk grinned.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And he had other advantages.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he had other advantages.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading “Been here long?” he asked the clerk at the desk, after a leisurely meal.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading And he had other advantages.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
arrange in a container
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
farm consisting of a large tract of land along with facilities needed to raise livestock (especially cattle)
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He would get to them, of course, but he meant to start on the outside of the circle and work in.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The pack, as he cynically thought of them, would have started at the Clark ranch and the cabin.
Chapter 12 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 225 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 12 holds 225 sentences of The Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 225 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 12 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.
