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.
Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.” “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.” She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger. “Young man, trust me. I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
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 61/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 301–305
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.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading ““Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.””
the finger next to the thumb
From this reading “She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.”
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading ““Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.””
compel to behave in a certain way
From this reading “Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.””
discontinued temporarily
From this reading “She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.”
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading ““Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.””
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.”
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading ““Young man, trust me.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
all things; all of a situation
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
the finger next to the thumb
From this reading She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
compel to behave in a certain way
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
for more time
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Young man, trust me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
on the contrary
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading She interrupted me by slowly shaking her forefinger.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading “Young man, trust me.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Now I’m out of the way, they’ll impose upon her.”
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I’ve lived in the world rather longer than you have.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Of course, Miss Howard,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can, but I’m sure you’re excited and overwrought.”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “Young man, trust me.
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.
