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.
The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him. “Who is that?” I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man. “That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly. “And who is Dr. Bauerstein?”
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 64/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 316–320
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.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.”
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading “The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.”
past form of “distrust” — regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in
From this reading “I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.”
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading “The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.”
as a matter of instinct
From this reading “I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading ““That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.”
for a short time
From this reading ““That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly.”
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 “And who is Dr. Bauerstein?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
past form of “distrust” — regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in
From this reading I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
as a matter of instinct
From this reading I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Who is that?”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading I asked sharply, for instinctively I distrusted the man.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
for a short time
From this reading “That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Who is that?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That’s Dr. Bauerstein,” said John shortly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The colour rose in her cheeks as she held out her hand to him.
which person or people
From this reading “Who is that?”
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.
