Chapter 13 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Well, why shouldn't he?” he demanded truculently. “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.” She found that she could not go on. David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick. Had been incomprehensible from the first.
Chapter 13 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.”
a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading ““A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.””
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading ““Well, why shouldn't he?” he demanded truculently.”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.”
incapable of being explained or accounted for
From this reading “David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.”
the direction from which the wind is coming
From this reading ““A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.””
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading ““A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.””
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 “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had been incomprehensible from the first.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She found that she could not go on.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “Well, why shouldn't he?” he demanded truculently.
someone who is a detective
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Had been incomprehensible from the first.
set up or found
From this reading She found that she could not go on.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Had been incomprehensible from the first.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She found that she could not go on.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had been incomprehensible from the first.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Well, why shouldn't he?” he demanded truculently.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
incapable of being explained or accounted for
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She found that she could not go on.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She found that she could not go on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She found that she could not go on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, why shouldn't he?” he demanded truculently.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She found that she could not go on.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Had been incomprehensible from the first.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
in an aggressively truculent manner
From this reading “Well, why shouldn't he?” he demanded truculently.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, why shouldn't he?” he demanded truculently.
at the time that
From this reading David was always incomprehensible to her when it came to Dick.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Well, why shouldn't he?” he demanded truculently.
the direction from which the wind is coming
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “A good woman would be one more anchor to windward.”
Chapter 13 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 13 holds 226 sentences of The Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 13 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.
