Chapter 3 of The Big Four is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Big Four is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime. Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened." The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features. He looked a jail-bird if ever a man did. "Honest to God, I never did it," he whined.
Chapter 3 of The Big Four is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading “"Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.”
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.”
let have
From this reading “"Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.”
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading “The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.”
free from evil or guilt
From this reading “"Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.”
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading “The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.”
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.”
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading “Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."”
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 “The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.”
In this reading “Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."”
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 The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
put or send forth
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He looked a jail-bird if ever a man did.
at any time
From this reading He looked a jail-bird if ever a man did.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "Honest to God, I never did it," he whined.
let have
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked a jail-bird if ever a man did.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
From this reading "Honest to God, I never did it," he whined.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He looked a jail-bird if ever a man did.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
free from evil or guilt
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Honest to God, I never did it," he whined.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked a jail-bird if ever a man did.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked a jail-bird if ever a man did.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "Honest to God, I never did it," he whined.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
to a small degree or extent
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
unpleasant or disagreeable to the senses
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Honest to God, I never did it," he whined.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The prisoner was a man of medium height, with a somewhat unpleasing cast of features.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Grant, I know you to be innocent of this crime.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Relate to me in your own words exactly what happened."
Chapter 3 of The Big Four by Agatha Christie holds 411 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 3 holds 411 sentences of The Big Four, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Big Four by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 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 3 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.
