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.
“Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely. “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us. As for Evie—you remember Evie?” “Oh, I suppose she was after your time. She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
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 7/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 31–35
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.
someone who is morally reprehensible
From this reading ““Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.”
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!”
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading ““I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.”
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading ““I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.”
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading ““I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.”
very bad
From this reading ““Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.”
in a vicious manner
From this reading ““Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.”
plural of “trade” — the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
From this reading “She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!”
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.
later than; following
From this reading “Oh, I suppose she was after your time.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for Evie—you remember Evie?”
someone who is morally reprehensible
From this reading “Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As for Evie—you remember Evie?”
a servant employed to do a variety of jobs
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
United States architect who formed and important architectural firm with John Merven Carrere (1860-1929)
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
a small worthless amount
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, I suppose she was after your time.
To recall to mind.
From this reading As for Evie—you remember Evie?”
very bad
From this reading “Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.
in a vicious manner
From this reading “Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Oh, I suppose she was after your time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
express a supposition
From this reading “Oh, I suppose she was after your time.
express in words
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Oh, I suppose she was after your time.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “Rotten little bounder too!” he said savagely.
plural of “trade” — the commercial exchange (buying and selling on domestic or international markets) of goods and services
From this reading She’s the mater’s factotum, companion, Jack of all trades!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Oh, I suppose she was after your time.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I can tell you, Hastings, it’s making life jolly difficult for us.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Oh, I suppose she was after your time.
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.
