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.
DENVER, June 20. God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man! I have not slept any all night. I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag! This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
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 50/125 · 5 reading units · Lines 246–250
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.
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading “I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!”
the state capital and largest city of Colorado; located in central Colorado on the South Platte river
From this reading “DENVER, June 20.”
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading “I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!”
United States jurist and chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1833-1910)
From this reading “This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.”
responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act
From this reading “This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.”
the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
From this reading “God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!”
French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading “This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.”
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading “DENVER, June 20.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DENVER, June 20.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
(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 I have not slept any all night.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I have not slept any all night.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
the first light of day
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
the state capital and largest city of Colorado; located in central Colorado on the South Platte river
From this reading DENVER, June 20.
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
United States jurist and chief justice of the United States Supreme Court (1833-1910)
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have not slept any all night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have not slept any all night.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading DENVER, June 20.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading I have not slept any all night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I have not slept any all night.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading I have not slept any all night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This Jacob Fuller is a cousin of the guilty one.
create by training and teaching
From this reading I am now awaiting, at dawn, for the morning train--and how the minutes drag, how they drag!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading God forgive us, mother, we are hunting the wrong man!
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.
