Chapter 2 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Were you smoking?" Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves. Webster's frown deepened. "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me. I intended to smoke--and walk about."
Chapter 2 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story is here in full — 406 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “"No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.”
past form of “deepen” — make more intense, stronger, or more marked
From this reading “Webster's frown deepened.”
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Webster's frown deepened.”
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading “Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.”
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading “"No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.”
an instance of questioning
From this reading “Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.”
trying something to find out about it
From this reading “Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.”
possessive form of “webster” — English playwright (1580-1625)
From this reading “Webster's frown deepened.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I intended to smoke--and walk about."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
plural of “cigarette” — finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
past form of “deepen” — make more intense, stronger, or more marked
From this reading Webster's frown deepened.
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Webster's frown deepened.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading I intended to smoke--and walk about."
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
not any; not one
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
an instance of questioning
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading I intended to smoke--and walk about."
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading "Were you smoking?"
trying something to find out about it
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hastings put the query sharply, as if to test the narrator's nerves.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading I intended to smoke--and walk about."
possessive form of “webster” — English playwright (1580-1625)
From this reading Webster's frown deepened.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Were you smoking?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "No. But I had cigarettes and matches with me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Were you smoking?"
Chapter 2 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story by James Hay holds 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 2 holds 406 sentences of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story by James Hay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 406 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 2 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.
