Chapter 1 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I. 8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II. 9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III. 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV. 10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.
Chapter 1 of Murder by the clock is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.”
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.”
plural of “flare” — a shape that spreads outward
From this reading “10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.”
plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading “9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.”
English businessman who created a retail chain (1888-1964)
From this reading “9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.”
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.”
the season of growth
From this reading “8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II.”
past form of “station” — assign to a station
From this reading “9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.”
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 “9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.”
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 10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading 10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.
plural of “flare” — a shape that spreads outward
From this reading 10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.
plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading 9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading 8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading 9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading 8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II.
English businessman who created a retail chain (1888-1964)
From this reading 9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading 9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 9:24 p. m.—Hall Marks of Murder III.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading 8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading 10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.
the season of growth
From this reading 8:37 p. m.—Spring 3100 II.
past form of “station” — assign to a station
From this reading 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 9:45 p. m.—Guards Are Stationed at the Doors IV.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading 10:02 p. m.—Pale Flares the Darkness V.
Chapter 1 of Murder by the clock by Rufus King holds 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 289 sentences of Murder by the clock, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Murder by the clock by Rufus King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Murder by the clock by Rufus King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4710 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75500 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75500, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 392 minutes of reading across 942 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Murder by the clock section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Murder by the clock 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 Murder by the clock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
