Chapter 1 of The Mysterious Affair at Styles is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Mysterious Affair at Styles is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said: “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.” “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.” “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life. I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
Chapter 1 of The Mysterious Affair at Styles is here in full — 355 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 13/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 61–65
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.
make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool
From this reading “I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.”
plural of “farm” — workplace consisting of farm buildings and cultivated land as a unit
From this reading “I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.”
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading “As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:”
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading ““I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.””
not in action or at work
From this reading ““Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.”
bestow a quality on
From this reading “I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.”
be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading “As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:”
plural of “volunteer” — (military) a person who freely enlists for service
From this reading “I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.”
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 I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
dearly loved
From this reading “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
make a hole, especially with a pointed power or hand tool
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
plural of “farm” — workplace consisting of farm buildings and cultivated land as a unit
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
a boy or man
From this reading “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.”
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
United States computer entrepreneur whose software company made him the youngest multi-billionaire in the history of the United States (born in 1955)
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
not in action or at work
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
and nothing more
From this reading “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.”
take somebody somewhere
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
bestow a quality on
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
two times
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
precisely as stated
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
plural of “volunteer” — (military) a person who freely enlists for service
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said:
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “My dear fellow, that’s just what I want.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading I drill with the volunteers twice a week, and lend a hand at the farms.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Oh, it’s pleasant enough if you want to lead the idle life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m afraid you’ll find it very quiet down here, Hastings.”
Chapter 1 of The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie holds 355 sentences, grouped into 71 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 355 sentences of The Mysterious Affair at Styles, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 355 sentences, grouped into 71 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 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 71 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 Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5287 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 440 minutes of reading across 1058 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mysterious Affair at Styles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of The Mysterious Affair at Styles 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 Mysterious Affair at Styles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
