Chapter 4 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 IV
Chapter 4 of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story is here in full — 403 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself. "Beg pardon, sir." He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak. "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information. In fact, she asked me to see you."
Chapter 4 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.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “"Beg pardon, sir."”
the act of digging
From this reading “"Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.”
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading “He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.”
a message received and understood
From this reading “"Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.”
accept an excuse for
From this reading “"Beg pardon, sir."”
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.”
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading “He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.”
in or at or to some place
From this reading “He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.”
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 “He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.”
In this reading “"Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.”
in reality or actuality
In this reading “In fact, she asked me to see you."”
In this reading “"Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.”
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 "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading In fact, she asked me to see you."
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "Beg pardon, sir."
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.
the act of digging
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading In fact, she asked me to see you."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
death of a person
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
a message received and understood
From this reading "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In fact, she asked me to see you."
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "Beg pardon, sir."
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading In fact, she asked me to see you."
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In fact, she asked me to see you."
term of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.
in or at or to some place
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
express in speech
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.
which person or people
From this reading He effaced himself, in shadows, somewhere behind Hastings, who seized the opportunity to speak.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, sir," said Jarvis, as if on the point of digging a grave--for himself.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Miss Sloane suggested that you wanted certain information.
Chapter 4 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 4 holds 403 sentences of "No Clue!": A Mystery Story, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 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 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 "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.
