Chapter 1 of The Mystery is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Mystery is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII. "OLD SCRUBS" COMES ASHORE XIII. I MAKE MY ESCAPE XIV. AN ADVENTURE IN THE NIGHT XV. FIVE HUNDRED YARDS' RANGE XVI.
Chapter 1 of The Mystery is here in full — 371 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/74 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
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.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading “AN ADVENTURE IN THE NIGHT XV.”
towards the shore from the water
From this reading “"OLD SCRUBS" COMES ASHORE XIII.”
a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters
From this reading “_Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.”
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading “_Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.”
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading “FIVE HUNDRED YARDS' RANGE XVI.”
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading “_Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.”
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading “_Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.”
a native or resident of Michigan
From this reading “_Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.”
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.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading AN ADVENTURE IN THE NIGHT XV.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ADVENTURE IN THE NIGHT XV.
towards the shore from the water
From this reading "OLD SCRUBS" COMES ASHORE XIII.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "OLD SCRUBS" COMES ASHORE XIII.
a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading I MAKE MY ESCAPE XIV.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading FIVE HUNDRED YARDS' RANGE XVI.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
ten 10s
From this reading FIVE HUNDRED YARDS' RANGE XVI.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I MAKE MY ESCAPE XIV.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AN ADVENTURE IN THE NIGHT XV.
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
engage in
From this reading I MAKE MY ESCAPE XIV.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I MAKE MY ESCAPE XIV.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading AN ADVENTURE IN THE NIGHT XV.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "OLD SCRUBS" COMES ASHORE XIII.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading FIVE HUNDRED YARDS' RANGE XVI.
protective garment worn by surgeons during operations
From this reading "OLD SCRUBS" COMES ASHORE XIII.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
a native or resident of Michigan
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading _Being the story told by Ralph Slade, Free Lance, to the officers of the United States Cruiser "Wolverine"_ XII.
the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one
From this reading "OLD SCRUBS" COMES ASHORE XIII.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading I MAKE MY ESCAPE XIV.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading AN ADVENTURE IN THE NIGHT XV.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fifteen and one
From this reading FIVE HUNDRED YARDS' RANGE XVI.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading FIVE HUNDRED YARDS' RANGE XVI.
Chapter 1 of The Mystery by Stewart Edward White holds 371 sentences, grouped into 75 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 371 sentences of The Mystery, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Mystery by Stewart Edward White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 371 sentences, grouped into 75 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 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 75 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 Mystery by Stewart Edward White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5696 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10008 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10008, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 474 minutes of reading across 1140 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mystery section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Mystery 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 Mystery, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
