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.
No, we’re an impecunious lot. My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say. That is, up to now. Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning. For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
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 70/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 346–350
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.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading “For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading “My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.”
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading “Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.”
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading “For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.”
not capable of being precisely or readily described; not easily put into words
From this reading “For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “No, we’re an impecunious lot.”
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading “Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading No, we’re an impecunious lot.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
used as intensifiers
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
lacking funds
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
destroyed or killed
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
English actor of stage and screen (1893-1943)
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
not having enough money to pay for necessities
From this reading No, we’re an impecunious lot.
not capable of being precisely or readily described; not easily put into words
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is, up to now.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading No, we’re an impecunious lot.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
not any; not one
From this reading No, we’re an impecunious lot.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading That is, up to now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
express in words
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since her marriage, of course——” he broke off, frowning.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is, up to now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading That is, up to now.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My mother’s always been awfully good to us, I must say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, we’re an impecunious lot.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For the first time I felt that, with Evelyn Howard, something indefinable had gone from the atmosphere.
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.
