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’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown. He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.” “And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible. John Cavendish frowned and changed the subject. “Come for a stroll, 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 65/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 321–325
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.
the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
From this reading ““He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.”
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 “John Cavendish frowned and changed the subject.”
plural of “expert” — a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
From this reading “He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.””
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading ““Come for a stroll, Hastings.”
impossible to repress or control
From this reading ““And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible.”
plural of “poison” — any substance that causes injury or illness or death of a living organism
From this reading “He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.””
an expert who is devoted to one occupation or branch of learning
From this reading “He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.””
a leisurely walk (usually in some public place)
From this reading ““Come for a stroll, Hastings.”
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’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
later than; following
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
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 John Cavendish frowned and changed the subject.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading John Cavendish frowned and changed the subject.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Come for a stroll, Hastings.
provide a cure for, make healthy again
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading “And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
plural of “expert” — a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Come for a stroll, Hastings.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading John Cavendish frowned and changed the subject.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible.
highest in quality
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading “Come for a stroll, Hastings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
impossible to repress or control
From this reading “And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Cavendish frowned and changed the subject.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
possessive form of “mary” — the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible.
easily agitated
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
plural of “poison” — any substance that causes injury or illness or death of a living organism
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “And he’s a great friend of Mary’s,” put in Cynthia, the irrepressible.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
an expert who is devoted to one occupation or branch of learning
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
a leisurely walk (usually in some public place)
From this reading “Come for a stroll, Hastings.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading John Cavendish frowned and changed the subject.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
precisely as stated
From this reading He’s a London specialist; a very clever man—one of the greatest living experts on poisons, I believe.”
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading “He’s staying in the village doing a rest cure, after a bad nervous breakdown.
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.
