Chapter 38 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 XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of The Breaking Point is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said. “And Lucy will understand.” He did not sleep much that night. Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her. She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.
Chapter 38 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.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading ““I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading ““I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.”
English actor on stage and in films (1908-1990)
From this reading ““I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.”
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading ““And Lucy will understand.””
possessive form of “lucy” — incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.”
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading “She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.”
not agitated; without losing self-possession
From this reading “She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.”
two times
From this reading “Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.”
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
Having no one else present.
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And Lucy will understand.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not sleep much that night.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
English actor on stage and in films (1908-1990)
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “And Lucy will understand.”
possessive form of “lucy” — incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He did not sleep much that night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He did not sleep much that night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not sleep much that night.
on one occasion
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
not agitated; without losing self-possession
From this reading She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading He did not sleep much that night.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He did not sleep much that night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I guess I can fight this out alone, Harrison,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
two times
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “And Lucy will understand.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Once or twice he got up and tip-toed across the hall into Lucy's room and looked at her.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.
a Caucasian
From this reading She was as white as her pillow, and quite serene.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “And Lucy will understand.”
Chapter 38 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 38 holds 226 sentences of The Breaking Point, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 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 38 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.
