Chapter 4 of Oscar the Detective is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Oscar the Detective is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES. "I am surprised to see you here." "Is that so, madam?" "Yes." "Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"
Chapter 4 of Oscar the Detective is here in full — 293 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/58 · 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 “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading “DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.”
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.”
communicated in words
From this reading “"Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"”
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading “DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.”
third-person singular of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.”
a woman of refinement
From this reading “"Is that so, madam?"”
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading “DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.”
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading “DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.”
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 DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am surprised to see you here."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading "Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
communicated in words
From this reading "Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I am surprised to see you here."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am surprised to see you here."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is that so, madam?"
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
third-person singular of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
a woman of refinement
From this reading "Is that so, madam?"
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 DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I am surprised to see you here."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Is that so, madam?"
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading "I am surprised to see you here."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
precisely as stated
From this reading DUDIE DUNNE LISTENS TO A STRANGE STORY AND ENTERS UPON A TRAIL THAT LEADS TO MANY VERY STARTLING ADVENTURES.
at the time that
From this reading "Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why should you be when you expressed a desire to see me?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I am surprised to see you here."
Chapter 4 of Oscar the Detective by Old Sleuth holds 293 sentences, grouped into 59 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 293 sentences of Oscar the Detective, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Oscar the Detective by Old Sleuth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 293 sentences, grouped into 59 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 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 59 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 Oscar the Detective by Old Sleuth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2352 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19335 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19335, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 196 minutes of reading across 471 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Oscar the Detective section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 10 chapters of Oscar the Detective 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 Oscar the Detective, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
