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.
Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness. For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand. We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement. I will search him out and kill him.” “Kill him?
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 22/125 · 5 reading units · Lines 106–110
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.
compensation for a wrong
From this reading “We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.”
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading “Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.”
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading “We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.”
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading “I will search him out and kill him.””
completely unclothed
From this reading “Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.”
affected with paralysis
From this reading “For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.”
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading “I will search him out and kill him.””
plural of “southerner” — an American who lives in the South
From this reading “We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.”
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 For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
(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 Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
compensation for a wrong
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
the quality of being shockingly cruel and inhumane
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
a youthful male person
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading I will search him out and kill him.”
completely unclothed
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I will search him out and kill him.”
affected with paralysis
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading I will search him out and kill him.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
plural of “southerner” — an American who lives in the South
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
in or at that place or location
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Then she told him her bitter story, in all its naked atrociousness.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We are Southerners; and by our custom and nature there is but one atonement.
during the time that
From this reading For a while the boy was paralyzed; then he said, “I understand.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I will search him out and kill him.”
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.
