Chapter 36 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 XXXVI
Chapter 36 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger. “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause. “I don't know. I'll find something.” “You won't go back to your work?”
Chapter 36 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.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading “She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading ““What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading ““What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.”
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading “She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.”
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.”
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading “She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading ““You won't go back to your work?””
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 She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
later than; following
From this reading “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “You won't go back to your work?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don't know.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading I'll find something.”
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “You won't go back to your work?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don't know.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'll find something.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I don't know.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.
deeply or seriously thoughtful
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I'll find something.”
not in physical motion
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading She sat still, pondering that, and twisting a ring on her finger.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You won't go back to your work?”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “You won't go back to your work?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you mean to do?” she asked, after a pause.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You won't go back to your work?”
Chapter 36 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 36 holds 226 sentences of The Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 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 36 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.
