Chapter 1 of The Grell Mystery is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Grell Mystery is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start. There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered. "That you, sir?"... The voice at the other end was tremulous and excited. "This is the Yard speaking--Flack.
Chapter 1 of The Grell Mystery is here in full — 109 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.”
a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer
From this reading “"This is the Yard speaking--Flack.”
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading “There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.”
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading “There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.”
seemingly loud enough to break something; violently rattling or clattering
From this reading “The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.”
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading “The voice at the other end was tremulous and excited.”
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 “"This is the Yard speaking--Flack.”
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 shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
clothing in general
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The voice at the other end was tremulous and excited.
divisible by two
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading The voice at the other end was tremulous and excited.
a slick spokesperson who can turn any criticism to the advantage of their employer
From this reading "This is the Yard speaking--Flack.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is the Yard speaking--Flack.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
according to the clock
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
and nothing more
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The voice at the other end was tremulous and excited.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
a crosspiece between the legs of a chair
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
seemingly loud enough to break something; violently rattling or clattering
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
term of address for a man
From this reading "That you, sir?"...
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading "This is the Yard speaking--Flack.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That you, sir?"...
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is the Yard speaking--Flack.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading The voice at the other end was tremulous and excited.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The voice at the other end was tremulous and excited.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
during the time that
From this reading There was only one place from which he was likely to be rung up at one o'clock in the morning, and he was reaching for his clothes with one hand even while he answered.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The shattering ring of the telephone awoke Heldon Foyle with a start.
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 "This is the Yard speaking--Flack.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "That you, sir?"...
Chapter 1 of The Grell Mystery by Frank Froest holds 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 109 sentences of The Grell Mystery, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Grell Mystery by Frank Froest exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 109 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 Grell Mystery by Frank Froest on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7508 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22173 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22173, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1502 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Grell Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Grell 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 Grell Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
