Chapter 3 of A Successful Shadow is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of A Successful Shadow is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE. "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone. "My name is Amalie Speir." The detective repeated: "Your name is Amalie?" "Yes."
Chapter 3 of A Successful Shadow is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental
From this reading “A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.”
the outcome of a complex sequence of events
From this reading “A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.”
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading “"And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.”
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading “A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.”
plural of “probability” — a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible
From this reading “A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.”
unusual or striking
From this reading “A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.”
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading “A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “"And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.”
In this reading “A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.”
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 A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My name is Amalie Speir."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
from appearances alone
From this reading "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
the outcome of a complex sequence of events
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My name is Amalie Speir."
used to form the superlative
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My name is Amalie Speir."
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
doubt or uncertainty as to whether something is the case
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
plural of “probability” — a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
recurring again and again
From this reading The detective repeated: "Your name is Amalie?"
unusual or striking
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "My name is Amalie Speir."
plural of “strike” — a group's refusal to work in protest against low pay or bad work conditions
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading A MOST SINGULAR AND WONDERFUL COINCIDENCE--THE DETECTIVE STRIKES A NEW TRAIL--A DENOUEMENT MOST WONDERFUL--POSSIBILITIES AND PROBABILITIES BEYOND PERADVENTURE.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "And your name?" asked the detective, in an apparently indifferent tone.
Chapter 3 of A Successful Shadow by Old Sleuth holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 3 holds 163 sentences of A Successful Shadow, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of A Successful Shadow by Old Sleuth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 3 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 Successful Shadow by Old Sleuth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1487 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26175 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26175, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 123 minutes of reading across 298 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Successful Shadow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of A Successful Shadow 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 Successful Shadow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
