Chapter 2 of The Secret Adversary is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Secret Adversary is here in full — 253 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption. She hesitated. As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly: “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.” Tuppence believed him.
Chapter 2 of The Secret Adversary is here in full — 253 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 that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn
From this reading “TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.”
make certain of
From this reading ““I can assure you I mean no disrespect.””
an expression of lack of respect
From this reading ““I can assure you I mean no disrespect.””
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading “She hesitated.”
-ing form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading “TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.”
the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading “TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly:
a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
make certain of
From this reading “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.”
have
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Tuppence believed him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
an expression of lack of respect
From this reading “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
past form of “hesitate” — pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness
From this reading She hesitated.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Tuppence believed him.
-ing form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly:
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly:
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.”
used to form the superlative
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
not any; not one
From this reading “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
with speed
From this reading As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly:
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly:
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly:
in an aggressive manner
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She hesitated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading As if he read her thoughts, the man said quickly:
the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
a former United Kingdom silver coin; United Kingdom bronze decimal coin worth two pennies
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
expressed without speech
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
the words that are spoken
From this reading TUPPENCE turned sharply, but the words hovering on the tip of her tongue remained unspoken, for the man’s appearance and manner did not bear out her first and most natural assumption.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I can assure you I mean no disrespect.”
Chapter 2 of The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie holds 253 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 2 holds 253 sentences of The Secret Adversary, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 253 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 2 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 Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5839 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1155 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1155, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 486 minutes of reading across 1168 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Secret Adversary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Secret Adversary 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 Secret Adversary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
