Chapter 4 of The mystery of the Peacock's Eye is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The mystery of the Peacock's Eye is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister. “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?” The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question. “It’s murder for certain! All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
Chapter 4 of The mystery of the Peacock's Eye is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
a statement asserting the existence or the truth of something
From this reading “The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.”
plural of “almond” — small bushy deciduous tree native to Asia and North Africa having pretty pink blossoms and highly prized edible nuts enclosed in a hard green hull; cultivated in southern Australia and California
From this reading “All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.”
English runner who in 1954 became the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes (born in 1929)
From this reading “A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.”
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading “All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.”
possessive form of “inspector” — a high ranking police officer
the act of killing yourself
From this reading ““How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?””
clearly evident to the mind
From this reading “All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.”
with vigor; in a vigorous manner
From this reading “The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
kill oneself
In this reading ““How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?””
In this reading “All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.”
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 A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.
a statement asserting the existence or the truth of something
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
(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 All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
plural of “almond” — small bushy deciduous tree native to Asia and North Africa having pretty pink blossoms and highly prized edible nuts enclosed in a hard green hull; cultivated in southern Australia and California
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
English runner who in 1954 became the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes (born in 1929)
From this reading A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
an occurrence of something
From this reading A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.
perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
From this reading “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “It’s murder for certain!
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?”
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
the distinct personality of an individual regarded as a persisting entity
From this reading A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
possessive form of “inspector” — a high ranking police officer
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s murder for certain!
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?”
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “It’s murder for certain!
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.
concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
inflected form of “query” — pose a question
From this reading A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?”
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
the act of killing yourself
From this reading “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?”
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A Case of Identity “Certain of that?” queried Bannister.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
clearly evident to the mind
From this reading All her personal belongings seem to have been taken and all around the poor girl’s mouth hung that unmistakable bitter almonds smell.
with vigor; in a vigorous manner
From this reading The Sergeant nodded vigorously in affirmation of the Inspector’s first question.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “How do you know she didn’t commit suicide?”
Chapter 4 of The mystery of the Peacock's Eye by Brian Flynn holds 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 4 holds 251 sentences of The mystery of the Peacock's Eye, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The mystery of the Peacock's Eye by Brian Flynn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 4 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 of the Peacock's Eye by Brian Flynn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5211 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75195 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75195, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 434 minutes of reading across 1043 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The mystery of the Peacock's Eye section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The mystery of the Peacock's Eye 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 of the Peacock's Eye, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
