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.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
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.
He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature. It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life. His voice was rather deep and unctuous. He placed a wooden hand in mine and said: “This is a pleasure, Mr. Hastings.”
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 27/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 131–135
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.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.”
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading “He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.”
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading ““This is a pleasure, Mr. Hastings.””
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading “It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.”
in a strange manner
From this reading “It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.”
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
From this reading “His voice was rather deep and unctuous.”
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading “He placed a wooden hand in mine and said:”
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading “He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.”
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 He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading His voice was rather deep and unctuous.
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He placed a wooden hand in mine and said:
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading “This is a pleasure, Mr. Hastings.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His voice was rather deep and unctuous.
apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This is a pleasure, Mr. Hastings.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading He placed a wooden hand in mine and said:
a form of address for a man
From this reading “This is a pleasure, Mr. Hastings.”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
spectacles clipped to the nose by a spring
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading He placed a wooden hand in mine and said:
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading “This is a pleasure, Mr. Hastings.”
on the contrary
From this reading His voice was rather deep and unctuous.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He placed a wooden hand in mine and said:
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
in a strange manner
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This is a pleasure, Mr. Hastings.”
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
From this reading His voice was rather deep and unctuous.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading His voice was rather deep and unctuous.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It struck me that he might look natural on a stage, but was strangely out of place in real life.
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading He placed a wooden hand in mine and said:
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading He wore gold-rimmed pince-nez, and had a curious impassivity of feature.
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.
