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A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet

Chapter III · The Lauriston Gardens Mystery

Read and study this complete chapter with synchronized narration, pronunciation, and vocabulary support.

I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

A Study in Scarlet, Chapter 3, reading 1: I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories
Context Illustration Reading 1/55 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.
My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.
There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.
When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.
How in the world did you deduce that?”
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Study in Scarlet

Chapter III · The Lauriston Gardens Mystery

Study this chapter through synchronized reading, listening, pronunciation, and contextual vocabulary.

Reading 1/55 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.
Line 2
My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.
Line 3
There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.
Line 4
When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.
Line 5
How in the world did you deduce that?”

Learner Dictionary

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.

suspicion noun US /sə.ˈspɪ.ʃən/

The act of suspecting something or someone, especially of something wrong

From this reading “There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.”

All words in this reading · 75

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

a

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

abstraction

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

analysis

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From this reading My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.

and

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

assumed

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

at

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

by

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

companion's

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

comprehension

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

confess

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

considerably

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

could

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

dazzle

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

deduce

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From this reading “How in the world did you deduce that?”

did

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From this reading “How in the world did you deduce that?”

earthly

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

episode

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

expression

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

eyes

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

finished

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

for

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From this reading My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.

fresh

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

had

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

have

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

he

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

him

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

his

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From this reading My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.

How

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From this reading “How in the world did you deduce that?”

however

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

I

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

in

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

increased

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From this reading My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.

intended

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

lack-lustre

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

looked

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

lurking

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

me

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

mental

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

my

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

nature

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

note

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

object

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

of

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

past

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

powers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.

practical

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

pre-arranged

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

proof

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

reading

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

remained

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

respect

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.

showed

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From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

some

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

startled

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

still

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

suspicionnounUS /sə.ˈspɪ.ʃən/

The act of suspecting something or someone, especially of something wrong

From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

taking

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

that

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

the

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

theories

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From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

There

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

thing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

this

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

though

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

to

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

vacant

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I confess that I was considerably startled by this fresh proof of the practical nature of my companion’s theories.

what

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

When

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

which

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When I looked at him he had finished reading the note, and his eyes had assumed the vacant, lack-lustre expression which showed mental abstraction.

whole

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From this reading There still remained some lurking suspicion in my mind, however, that the whole thing was a pre-arranged episode, intended to dazzle me, though what earthly object he could have in taking me in was past my comprehension.

wondrously

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From this reading My respect for his powers of analysis increased wondrously.

world

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From this reading “How in the world did you deduce that?”

you

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From this reading “How in the world did you deduce that?”

Chapter Quiz

Use these questions to verify literal comprehension before continuing to the next chapter.

What is the central narrative or theme conveyed in this section of Chapter 03: The Lauriston Gardens Mystery?

Which core linguistic virtue or character attribute is emphasized in this passage?

According to the text: "CHAPTER III....", what tone does the author establish?

Shadowing Practice

Repeat the selected source lines aloud to practice rhythm, stress, and clear US English pronunciation.

Narrator: CHAPTER III.
Narrator: forehead, blunt nose, and prognathous jaw gave the dead man a