Chapter I of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “A Mysterious Gift,” is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter I of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “A Mysterious Gift,” is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake. The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom. Something—or someone—was outside. He felt sure of it. Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
Chapter I of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, “A Mysterious Gift,” is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.”
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading “The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.”
(boxing) a blow with the fist
From this reading “Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.”
showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary
From this reading “The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.”
inflected form of “prod” — to push against gently
From this reading “Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “Something—or someone—was outside.”
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading “Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.”
the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning
From this reading “Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.”
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 “Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.”
In this reading “He felt sure of it.”
In this reading “Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.”
In this reading “Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.”
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.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
(boxing) a blow with the fist
From this reading Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.
the first light of day
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt sure of it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He felt sure of it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He felt sure of it.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Something—or someone—was outside.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
showing clearly the outline or profile or boundary
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Something—or someone—was outside.
inflected form of “prod” — to push against gently
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Something—or someone—was outside.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something—or someone—was outside.
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.
the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading He felt sure of it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Biff Brewster was suddenly awake—wide awake.
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 gray light of dawn outlined the window of his first-floor bedroom.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Something had prodded him out of his deep sleep with startling suddenness.
Chapter 1 of Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams holds 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 124 sentences of Mystery of the Chinese Ring, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Mystery of the Chinese Ring by Andy Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4215 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51608 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51608, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 843 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mystery of the Chinese Ring section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Mystery of the Chinese Ring 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 Mystery of the Chinese Ring, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
