Chapter 4 of The Billiard Room Mystery is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Billiard Room Mystery is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?” I queried wonderingly. “Nothing about them struck me as peculiar. Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.” We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
Chapter 4 of The Billiard Room Mystery is here in full — 288 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.””
of or relating to billiards
From this reading “UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?””
rock fragments and pebbles
From this reading “We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading “Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.””
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?””
past form of “progress” — develop in a positive way
From this reading “We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.”
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading “I queried wonderingly.”
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading “Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.””
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.
a room in which billiards is played
In this reading “UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?””
In this reading “Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.””
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 Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Nothing about them struck me as peculiar.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
any person at all
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Nothing about them struck me as peculiar.
of or relating to billiards
From this reading UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?”
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
rock fragments and pebbles
From this reading We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I queried wonderingly.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
and nothing more
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Nothing about them struck me as peculiar.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Nothing about them struck me as peculiar.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?”
past form of “progress” — develop in a positive way
From this reading We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading I queried wonderingly.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading “Nothing about them struck me as peculiar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Nothing about them struck me as peculiar.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?”
up to a particular time
From this reading We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We had progressed along the gravel drive until we were opposite the billiard room window.
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 UNDER THE BILLIARD ROOM WINDOW “Peculiar?”
in a curious and questioning manner
From this reading I queried wonderingly.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Anybody getting up in a hurry would have thrown them off just as they appeared to——” “You think so—well, you may if you like—here we are.”
Chapter 4 of The Billiard Room Mystery by Brian Flynn holds 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 288 sentences of The Billiard Room Mystery, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Billiard Room Mystery by Brian Flynn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 288 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 The Billiard Room Mystery by Brian Flynn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5406 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58413 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58413, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 450 minutes of reading across 1082 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Billiard Room Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Billiard Room Mystery 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 Billiard Room Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
