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.
Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’ She was very angry. Natural! I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not. That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
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 55/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 271–275
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.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading “Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’”
feeling or showing anger
From this reading “She was very angry.”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading “That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.”
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.”
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading “Natural!”
third-person singular of “spend” — use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading “Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’”
notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading “I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.”
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading “I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.”
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.
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
feeling or showing anger
From this reading She was very angry.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
the act of departing
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
and nothing more
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading Natural!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
above and across; more than
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was very angry.
in the near future
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
third-person singular of “spend” — use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
precisely as stated
From this reading She was very angry.
notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was very angry.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading That man would as soon murder you in your bed as look at you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I went on, ‘I’m going to warn you, whether you like it or not.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Just ask your Alfred how much time he spends over there.’
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.
