Chapter 1 of A Double Barrelled Detective Story is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Double Barrelled Detective Story is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all. You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at? Nowhere, as near as I can make out.” “What is his big chief one?” “Sight, maybe.
Chapter 1 of A Double Barrelled Detective Story is here in full — 627 sentences across 126 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 103/125 · 5 reading units · Lines 511–515
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.
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?”
a person who is in charge
From this reading “And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?”
most important element
From this reading “And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.”
by chance
From this reading ““Sight, maybe.”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.”
an insignificant place
From this reading “Nowhere, as near as I can make out.””
a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all
From this reading “You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
a person who is in charge
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Nowhere, as near as I can make out.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is his big chief one?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
and nothing more
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
most important element
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
engage in
From this reading Nowhere, as near as I can make out.”
by chance
From this reading “Sight, maybe.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Nowhere, as near as I can make out.”
an insignificant place
From this reading Nowhere, as near as I can make out.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “What is his big chief one?”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Nowhere, as near as I can make out.”
a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
an instance of visual perception
From this reading “Sight, maybe.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
express a supposition
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
up to a particular time
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is his big chief one?”
in or at the place that
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading And as for getting at the nature and get-up of his main big chief mystery, why, he'll just change the subject, that's all.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You can guess till you're black in the face--it's your privilege--but suppose you do, where do you arrive at?
Chapter 1 of A Double Barrelled Detective Story by Mark Twain holds 627 sentences, grouped into 126 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 1 holds 627 sentences of A Double Barrelled Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 126 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Double Barrelled Detective Story by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 627 sentences, grouped into 126 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 126 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 126 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 1 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 A Double Barrelled Detective Story by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1257 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3180 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3180, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 104 minutes of reading across 252 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Double Barrelled Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of A Double Barrelled Detective Story 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 A Double Barrelled Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
