Chapter 19 of The Layton Court mystery is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The Layton Court mystery is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously. “Back into the _house_? But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?” “Ah, now you’re asking me something. I haven’t the least idea.
Chapter 19 of The Layton Court mystery is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading ““Ah, now you’re asking me something.”
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?””
the act of departing
From this reading “But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?””
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I haven’t the least idea.”
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading “I haven’t the least idea.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading ““Ah, now you’re asking me something.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?””
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?””
In this reading “I haven’t the least idea.”
In this reading “But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?””
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 “Ah, now you’re asking me something.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading “Ah, now you’re asking me something.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “Back into the _house_?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
the act of departing
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I haven’t the least idea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Back into the _house_?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I haven’t the least idea.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading I haven’t the least idea.
in an incredulous manner
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “Back into the _house_?
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading I haven’t the least idea.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Ah, now you’re asking me something.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Ah, now you’re asking me something.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
a long wooden bench with a back
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “Ah, now you’re asking me something.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
express in words
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What the Settee Had to Tell Alec stared incredulously.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But—but what on earth would he want to be going back into the house for?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah, now you’re asking me something.
Chapter 19 of The Layton Court mystery by Anthony Berkeley holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 19 holds 188 sentences of The Layton Court mystery, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The Layton Court mystery by Anthony Berkeley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 19 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 Layton Court mystery by Anthony Berkeley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6394 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72883 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72883, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 532 minutes of reading across 1279 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Layton Court mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Layton Court 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 Layton Court mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
