Chapter 28 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You're cold,” he said almost roughly. He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender. “I'm not cold. I think it's the dead leaves.” “Dead leaves?” he repeated, puzzled.
Chapter 28 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 233 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.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading ““You're cold,” he said almost roughly.”
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading “I think it's the dead leaves.””
filled with bewilderment
From this reading ““Dead leaves?” he repeated, puzzled.”
recurring again and again
From this reading ““Dead leaves?” he repeated, puzzled.”
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading ““You're cold,” he said almost roughly.”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.”
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading “He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.”
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “You're cold,” he said almost roughly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading “You're cold,” he said almost roughly.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading I think it's the dead leaves.”
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You're cold,” he said almost roughly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I think it's the dead leaves.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'm not cold.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I think it's the dead leaves.”
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading I think it's the dead leaves.”
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I'm not cold.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “Dead leaves?” he repeated, puzzled.
on the contrary
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
recurring again and again
From this reading “Dead leaves?” he repeated, puzzled.
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading “You're cold,” he said almost roughly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You're cold,” he said almost roughly.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I think it's the dead leaves.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think it's the dead leaves.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was sometimes rather savage, for fear he might be tender.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You're cold,” he said almost roughly.
Chapter 28 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 233 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 28 holds 233 sentences of The Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of The Breaking Point by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 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 28 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.
