Chapter 1 of The Hospital Murders is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Hospital Murders is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds. So reachable, and yet so distant. An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital. He began strolling down Beeker Street. A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.
Chapter 1 of The Hospital Murders is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.”
easily approached
From this reading “So reachable, and yet so distant.”
the quality of being ceaselessly moving or active
From this reading “An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.”
furnished or strengthened with ribs
From this reading “An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.”
-ing form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading “He began strolling down Beeker Street.”
past form of “tickle” — touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements
From this reading “A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.”
not explained
From this reading “An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.”
make whistling sounds
From this reading “A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.”
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.
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 Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So reachable, and yet so distant.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He began strolling down Beeker Street.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began strolling down Beeker Street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading So reachable, and yet so distant.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He began strolling down Beeker Street.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He began strolling down Beeker Street.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.
a small stiff cushion into which pins are stuck ready for use
From this reading Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
easily approached
From this reading So reachable, and yet so distant.
the quality of being ceaselessly moving or active
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
furnished or strengthened with ribs
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So reachable, and yet so distant.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading He began strolling down Beeker Street.
-ing form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading He began strolling down Beeker Street.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.
past form of “tickle” — touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter, or spasmodic movements
From this reading A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.
not having a musical sound or pleasing tune
From this reading A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.
not explained
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Outside, the sky was a pincushion of diamonds.
make whistling sounds
From this reading A silent, tuneless whistle tickled his lips.
in the company of; together with
From this reading An unexplained joy, that was ribbed with restlessness, pulled Cub’s feet away from the hospital.
but in spite of that
From this reading So reachable, and yet so distant.
Chapter 1 of The Hospital Murders by Means Davis holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of The Hospital Murders, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Hospital Murders by Means Davis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Hospital Murders by Means Davis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5654 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54445 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54445, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 471 minutes of reading across 1131 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Hospital Murders section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Hospital Murders 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 Hospital Murders, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
