Chapter 1 of X Y Z: A Detective Story is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of X Y Z: A Detective Story is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC. X. Y. Z. A STORY TOLD BY A DETECTIVE. THE MYSTERIOUS RENDEZVOUS. Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
Chapter 1 of X Y Z: A Detective Story is here in full — 467 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/93 · 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 slight indication
From this reading “Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.”
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading “Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “A STORY TOLD BY A DETECTIVE.”
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.”
-ing form of “ferret” — hound or harry relentlessly
From this reading “Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.”
without knowledge or intention
From this reading “Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.”
a meeting planned at a certain time and place
From this reading “THE MYSTERIOUS RENDEZVOUS.”
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading “Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.”
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.
In this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.”
search and discover through persistent investigation
In this reading “Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.”
In this reading “Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.”
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 AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A STORY TOLD BY A DETECTIVE.
an occurrence of something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
a slight indication
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading A STORY TOLD BY A DETECTIVE.
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
-ing form of “ferret” — hound or harry relentlessly
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
without knowledge or intention
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
of an obscure nature
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS RENDEZVOUS.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
a meeting planned at a certain time and place
From this reading THE MYSTERIOUS RENDEZVOUS.
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
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 A STORY TOLD BY A DETECTIVE.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE LEAVENWORTH CASE," "A STRANGE DISAPPEARANCE," ETC.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading A STORY TOLD BY A DETECTIVE.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
during the time that
From this reading Sometimes in the course of his experience, a detective, while engaged in ferreting out the mystery of one crime, runs inadvertently upon the clue to another.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading X. Y. Z.
a silvery metallic element that is common in rare-earth minerals; used in magnesium and aluminum alloys
From this reading X. Y. Z.
the ending of a series or sequence
From this reading X. Y. Z.
Chapter 1 of X Y Z: A Detective Story by Anna Katharine Green holds 467 sentences, grouped into 94 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 467 sentences of X Y Z: A Detective Story, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of X Y Z: A Detective Story by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 467 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 X Y Z: A Detective Story by Anna Katharine Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 891 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33695 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33695, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 74 minutes of reading across 179 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through X Y Z: A Detective Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of X Y Z: A Detective Story 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 X Y Z: A Detective Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
