Chapter 2 of The Big Four is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Big Four is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I wonder--I very much wonder." "You mean--?" "Number Four--the destroyer." I gazed at Poirot dumbfounded. A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
Chapter 2 of The Big Four is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
at or in or to any place
From this reading “A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.”
a small fast lightly armored but heavily armed warship
From this reading “"Number Four--the destroyer."”
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading “I gazed at Poirot dumbfounded.”
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “I gazed at Poirot dumbfounded.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.”
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading “"Number Four--the destroyer."”
returning to health after illness or debility
From this reading “A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.”
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “"I wonder--I very much wonder."”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
later than; following
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
anew
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
at or in or to any place
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I gazed at Poirot dumbfounded.
a small fast lightly armored but heavily armed warship
From this reading "Number Four--the destroyer."
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading I gazed at Poirot dumbfounded.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "Number Four--the destroyer."
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading I gazed at Poirot dumbfounded.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wonder--I very much wonder."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "You mean--?"
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I wonder--I very much wonder."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading "Number Four--the destroyer."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I gazed at Poirot dumbfounded.
returning to health after illness or debility
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Number Four--the destroyer."
a special situation
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I wonder--I very much wonder."
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading A minute or two after, on recovering my voice, I said:-- "We shall know him again, anywhere, that's one thing.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "I wonder--I very much wonder."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You mean--?"
Chapter 2 of The Big Four by Agatha Christie holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 415 sentences of The Big Four, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Big Four by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 The Big Four by Agatha Christie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Big Four section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Big Four 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 The Big Four, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
