Chapter 1 of The Eames-Erskine case is here in full — 494 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Eames-Erskine case is here in full — 494 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in. They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box. “Evening,” said the first. “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard. These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.
Chapter 1 of The Eames-Erskine case is here in full — 494 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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 (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.”
plural of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.”
a high ranking police officer
From this reading ““I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.”
United States bandleader of a popular big band (1909-1944)
From this reading “These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.”
a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading ““I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.”
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading ““I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.”
English poet and theologian (1674-1748)
From this reading “These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading ““I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.”
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.
ordinary clothing as distinguished from uniforms, work clothes, clerical garb, etc.
In this reading “They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.”
In this reading “The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.”
In this reading “They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.”
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 They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
a person who is in charge
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
clothing in general
From this reading They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
plural of “detective” — a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading “Evening,” said the first.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “Evening,” said the first.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
a high ranking police officer
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.
the force of workers available
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
United States bandleader of a popular big band (1909-1944)
From this reading These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
without a sound
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Evening,” said the first.
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The door opened noiselessly, and four men came in.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
English poet and theologian (1674-1748)
From this reading These are detectives Watts, Miller and Lester.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were in plain clothes, and one carried a large box.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “I am Chief Inspector Pointer from New Scotland Yard.
Chapter 1 of The Eames-Erskine case by A. (Archibald) Fielding holds 494 sentences, grouped into 99 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 494 sentences of The Eames-Erskine case, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Eames-Erskine case by A. (Archibald) Fielding exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 494 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 Eames-Erskine case by A. (Archibald) Fielding on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4584 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75146 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75146, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Eames-Erskine case section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Eames-Erskine case 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 Eames-Erskine case, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
