Chapter 4 of Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes. "'You remember nothing else?' I asked him. "'No,' he said. 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
Chapter 4 of Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
the act of breaking something
From this reading “'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"”
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “"The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.”
without doubt or question
From this reading “'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"”
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading “'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"”
a child's room for a baby
From this reading “'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"”
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading “'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “"The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.”
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading “"The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.”
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.
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 "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked him.
for the reason that
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
a youthful male person
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
the act of breaking something
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
without doubt or question
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
with intention; in an intentional manner
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'You remember nothing else?'
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I asked him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked him.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
a particular point in time
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
immediately following in time or order
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
not any; not one
From this reading "'No,' he said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "'You remember nothing else?'
a child's room for a baby
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
To recall to mind.
From this reading "'You remember nothing else?'
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "'No,' he said.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
a special situation
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The boy was silent for a moment, then he stretched out his hand for the cigarettes.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading 'The next thing I remember clearly is deliberately breaking the nursery window because it was raining and mother would not let me go out.'"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "'You remember nothing else?'
Chapter 4 of Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes by Joseph Lewis [Editor] French holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 4 holds 402 sentences of Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes by Joseph Lewis [Editor] French exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 4 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 Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes by Joseph Lewis [Editor] French on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3615 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27722 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27722, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 723 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes 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 Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
