Chapter 1 of Poirot Investigates is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Poirot Investigates is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below. “That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath. “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair. “Deduce, Poirot, from the following facts! Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
Chapter 1 of Poirot Investigates is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
reason by deduction; establish by deduction
From this reading ““Deduce, Poirot, from the following facts!”
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading ““What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.”
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading “Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.”
plural of “fur” — the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading “Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.”
in an idle manner
From this reading “I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
in a quiet and tranquil manner
From this reading ““What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.”
to an ample degree or in an ample manner
From this reading “Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.”
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 “Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.”
a young female
In this reading “Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.”
In this reading ““What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.”
In this reading ““What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.”
In this reading “I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.”
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 Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading “That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
reason by deduction; establish by deduction
From this reading “Deduce, Poirot, from the following facts!
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “Deduce, Poirot, from the following facts!
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading “Deduce, Poirot, from the following facts!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
plural of “fur” — the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
in an idle manner
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
characterized by grandeur
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
in a quiet and tranquil manner
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath.
to an ample degree or in an ample manner
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
having a supporting base
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s queer,” I ejaculated suddenly beneath my breath.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is, _mon ami_?” asked Poirot placidly, from the depths of his comfortable chair.
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 I was standing at the window of Poirot’s rooms looking out idly on the street below.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Here is a young lady, richly dressed—fashionable hat, magnificent furs.
Chapter 1 of Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of Poirot Investigates, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4748 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61262 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61262, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 395 minutes of reading across 950 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poirot Investigates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Poirot Investigates 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 Poirot Investigates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
