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An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 1 of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 1 of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge contain?

Chapter 1 holds 208 sentences of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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.

How do I study chapter 1 of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge?

Work through the 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 42 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.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Common questions about reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge?

Yes. All 208 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #375 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #375, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge take to read?

About 17 minutes of reading across 42 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge section by section

How to work through An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 1 chapters of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Words and structures a reader meets early in An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Occurrence
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Creek
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bridge
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ambrose
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
by Ambrose Bierce
THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION, 1988
I
A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
Line 2
by Ambrose Bierce
Line 3
THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION, 1988
Line 4
I
Line 5
A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Stood verb US /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading “A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.”

All words in this reading · 31

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

1988

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION, 1988

A

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

Alabama

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

Ambrose

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading by Ambrose Bierce

An

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

at

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

below

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

Bierce

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading by Ambrose Bierce

Bridge

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

by

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading by Ambrose Bierce

Creek

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

down

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

EDITION

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION, 1988

feet

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

FULCRUM

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION, 1988

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

into

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

looking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

man

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

MILLENNIUM

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION, 1988

northern

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

Occurrence

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Owl

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

railroad

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

swift

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

THE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE MILLENNIUM FULCRUM EDITION, 1988

twenty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

upon

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.

water

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A man stood upon a railroad bridge in northern Alabama, looking down into the swift water twenty feet below.