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.
Miss Howard entered. Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case. She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive. “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!” “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
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 52/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 256–260
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.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading ““At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!””
British chemist and physicist who established that water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen and who calculated the density of the earth (1731-1810)
From this reading ““My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!””
intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack
From this reading “She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.”
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading “She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.”
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading “Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.”
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading “Miss Howard entered.”
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading ““At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!””
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.”
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 Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
British chemist and physicist who established that water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen and who calculated the density of the earth (1731-1810)
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
dearly loved
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
intended or appropriate for defending against or deterring aggression or attack
From this reading She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.
characterized by great determination
From this reading She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Miss Howard entered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.
in a grim implacable manner
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading Miss Howard entered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Howard entered.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “At any rate,” she burst out, “I’ve spoken my mind!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She looked excited and determined, and slightly on the defensive.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “My dear Evelyn,” cried Mrs. Cavendish, “this can’t be true!”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her lips were set grimly together, and she carried a small suit-case.
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.
