Chapter 1 of The Chief Legatee is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Chief Legatee is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What's up?" This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk. "Something wrong in Room 81?" "Yes, sir. I've just sent for a detective.
Chapter 1 of The Chief Legatee is here in full — 248 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
a person who is in charge
From this reading “This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.”
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “I've just sent for a detective.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.”
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading “This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.”
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading “"Something wrong in Room 81?"”
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading “I've just sent for a detective.”
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading “"Something wrong in Room 81?"”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Something wrong in Room 81?"
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I've just sent for a detective.
a person who is in charge
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading I've just sent for a detective.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I've just sent for a detective.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've just sent for a detective.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Something wrong in Room 81?"
and nothing more
From this reading I've just sent for a detective.
someone who controls resources and expenditures
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Something wrong in Room 81?"
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading I've just sent for a detective.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, sir.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Something wrong in Room 81?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This from the manager of the Hotel ---- to his chief clerk.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "What's up?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What's up?"
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading "Something wrong in Room 81?"
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, sir.
Chapter 1 of The Chief Legatee by Anna Katharine Green holds 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 248 sentences of The Chief Legatee, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Chief Legatee by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 248 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 The Chief Legatee by Anna Katharine Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17999 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17999, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 336 minutes of reading across 809 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chief Legatee section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Chief Legatee 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 Chief Legatee, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
