Chapter 1 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"NO CLUE!" JAMES HAY, JR. Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again. Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock. Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.
Chapter 1 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story is here in full — 403 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.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading “Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.”
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading “Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.”
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading “Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.”
a slight indication
From this reading “"NO CLUE!"”
cause to stop
From this reading “Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.”
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading “JAMES HAY, JR.”
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading “Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.”
(of a leaf shape) having a somewhat elongated form with approximately parallel sides
From this reading “Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.”
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.
rest on for support
In this reading “Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.”
In this reading “Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.”
In this reading “Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.”
In this reading “Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.”
In this reading “Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.”
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 Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.
anew
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
first wife of Henry VIII; Henry VIII's divorce from her was the initial step of the Reformation in England (1485-1536)
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
a slight indication
From this reading "NO CLUE!"
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
a long fixed look
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
cause to stop
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
grass mowed and cured for use as fodder
From this reading JAMES HAY, JR.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading JAMES HAY, JR.
a son who has the same first name as his father
From this reading JAMES HAY, JR.
immediately past
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
not any; not one
From this reading "NO CLUE!"
(of a leaf shape) having a somewhat elongated form with approximately parallel sides
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
having great power or force or potency or effect
From this reading Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading Evidently, she regarded it as a powerful agency.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
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 Catherine Brace walked slowly from the mantel-piece to the open window and back again.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Within the last hour she had done that many times, always to halt before the mantel and gaze at the oblong, grey envelope that leaned against the clock.
Chapter 1 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story by James Hay holds 403 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 1 holds 403 sentences of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story by James Hay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 403 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 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 "No Clue!": A Mystery Story by James Hay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4393 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26396 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26396, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 366 minutes of reading across 879 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "No Clue!": A Mystery Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story 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 "No Clue!": A Mystery Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
