Chapter 24 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 XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness. “I'll go to Norada at once,” he said. “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.” “Not on your life you won't. I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
Chapter 24 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.
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading “David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.”
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.”
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading “David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.”
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading “David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.”
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading “David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.”
English actor on stage and in films (1908-1990)
From this reading ““Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.””
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading ““Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.””
a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer
From this reading ““Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.””
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 “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.”
weapons considered collectively
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “I'll go to Norada at once,” he said.
the two together, not just one
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.”
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.”
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I'll go to Norada at once,” he said.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
English actor on stage and in films (1908-1990)
From this reading “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'll go to Norada at once,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Not on your life you won't.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'll go to Norada at once,” he said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not on your life you won't.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Not on your life you won't.
on one occasion
From this reading “I'll go to Norada at once,” he said.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I'll go to Norada at once,” he said.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer
From this reading “Get a time-table, Harrison, and ring for the valet.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
at the time that
From this reading I'm here to do that, when I've got something to go on.
in the company of; together with
From this reading David was gripping the arms of his chair with both hands, but he forced himself to calmness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Not on your life you won't.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Not on your life you won't.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Not on your life you won't.
Chapter 24 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 24 holds 234 sentences of The Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 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 24 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.
