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The Layton Court mystery
The Layton Court mystery

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Layton Court mystery is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 2 of The Layton Court mystery by Anthony Berkeley holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Layton Court mystery contain?

Chapter 2 holds 166 sentences of The Layton Court mystery, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Layton Court mystery by Anthony Berkeley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Layton Court mystery?

Work through the 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 34 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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.

Questions about reading The Layton Court mystery

Common questions about reading The Layton Court mystery by Anthony Berkeley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Layton Court mystery?

Yes. All 6394 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72883 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Layton Court mystery is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #72883, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Layton Court mystery take to read?

About 532 minutes of reading across 1279 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Layton Court mystery section by section

How to work through The Layton Court mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Layton Court mystery to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Layton Court mystery

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Layton Court mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Nobody
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Layton Court mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Likes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Layton Court mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Detective
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Layton Court mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Layton Court mystery; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for The Layton Court mystery
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.
It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.
Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.
On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.
Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Layton Court mystery

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Layton Court mystery is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.
Line 2
It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.
Line 3
Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.
Line 4
On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.
Line 5
Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

Learner Dictionary

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, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.”

Point noun US /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading “Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.”

All words in this reading · 75

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

action

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

begin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

carefully

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

Court

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

deliberation

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

despondently

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

Eight

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

especially

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

feel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

fortified

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

gardener

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

gazing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

greenfly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

held

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

hour

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

important

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

just

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

Layton

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

life

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

man

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

matter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

melancholy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

Morning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

now

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

o'Clock

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

operations

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

particularly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

pay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

possible

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

Pretty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

quarters

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

removal

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

roses

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

rush

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

soon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

studied

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

sufficiently

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

summer's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

taken

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.

things

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

three

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On this summer’s morning William had been gazing despondently at the roses for just over three quarters of an hour.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It did not pay, William held, to rush things; especially the important things of life, such as the removal of greenfly from roses.

unhappily

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

view

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

William

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Eight o’Clock in the Morning William, the gardener at Layton Court, was a man of melancholy deliberation.

worst

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Before action was taken, the matter should be studied, carefully and unhappily, from every possible point of view, particularly the worst.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Pretty soon now he would feel himself sufficiently fortified to begin operations on them.