Chapter 29 of The Layton Court mystery is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Layton Court mystery is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment. Then he looked up suddenly. “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly. “Certainly not,” Roger agreed. “It was a well-merited execution.”
Chapter 29 of The Layton Court mystery is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading ““It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.”
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading ““Certainly not,” Roger agreed.”
past form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading “What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.”
putting a condemned person to death
From this reading ““It was a well-merited execution.””
come to pass
From this reading “What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.”
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading ““It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.”
a particular situation
From this reading “What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.”
plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading “What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.”
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.
temporarily
In this reading “What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.”
seek information from
In this reading “Then he looked up suddenly.”
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 What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
quickly and without warning
From this reading “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading “Certainly not,” Roger agreed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Certainly not,” Roger agreed.
past form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.
putting a condemned person to death
From this reading “It was a well-merited execution.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
come to pass
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he looked up suddenly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Then he looked up suddenly.
a particular point in time
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Certainly not,” Roger agreed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Certainly not,” Roger agreed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.
a particular situation
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Then he looked up suddenly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he looked up suddenly.
plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then he looked up suddenly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It was a well-merited execution.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It was a well-merited execution.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What Really Did Happen Alec contemplated the tips of his shoes for a moment.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “It wasn’t exactly murder, you know,” he said abruptly.
Chapter 29 of The Layton Court mystery by Anthony Berkeley holds 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 29 holds 257 sentences of The Layton Court mystery, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The Layton Court mystery by Anthony Berkeley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 29 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.
